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On Saturday I told you that two odd things were happening on the iTunes charts.
The Backstreet Boys’ 1999 album, “Millennium,” had reappeared at number 2. Three singles from it were suddenly in the top 20.
At the same time the new Mariah Carey record, “Dangerous,” hit number 1 even though it had no promotion and wasn’t very good.
I told you someone was gaming iTunes.
Well, the party is over. As of tonight, “Millennium” has dropped to number 32. All the singles have left the chart.
At the same time, Mariah’s single is down to 7 and should be well below that later this week. The video is up to 720K views. By comparison, Sabrina Carpenter’s new video, “Manchild,” released at the same time, is at 14 million.
The air has gone out of the balloon. There’s only so much fraud involved that can last beyond a couple of days.
And so it goes, as Mariah’s lambs are led to slaughter, so to speak.
Sylvester Stewart was 82 years old, which is amazing considering his life for the last 50 or so years. Reports say COPD and lung disease were the causes.
But Sly’s drug was legendary, and his decent into a kind of madness was the result.
Sly was a genius whose work influenced dozens of stars, most especially Prince. The greatest hits collection of Sly & the Family Stone is unshakable, whether it’s “I Want to Take You Higher.” “Hot Fun in the Summertime,” “Everyday People,” “Dance to the Music,” “Family Affair,” “Thank You Falettin Me Be Micelf Again.” We listen to these records now only to marvel at them.
Who can forget Sly turning Doris Day’s cheerful “Que Sera Sera” into his own threatening anthem?
By the mid 70’s Sly’s life was a mushrooming disaster. Aside from the drugs, he’d lost the rights to his music.The villain of the piece was Jerry Goldstein, the man who also wreaked havoc on the group WAR. Sly spent years fighting Goldstein. It was a ruinous uphill battle. Even after he won, Sly was so destroyed mentally he continued to live in an RV in front of his house in San Francisco. He couldn’t bring himself to go inside.
Late to the game I was lucky to see Sly perform at BB King’s in New York. He was a mess, but he did it. Goldstein was still preying on him. This was after he appeared on the 2006 Grammy Awards, and I met him backstage. We even had a our picture taken together, and a for a short time we were in touch.
(EXCLUSIVE, Premium Rates Apply) Sly Stone *Exclusive* (Photo by KMazur/WireImage for The Recording Academy)
I’d by then written a lot about Sly’s financial distress, and he knew it.
You can read some of it below. Let’s hope Sly rests in peace now.
Here’s what I wrote in 2006 after the Grammys:
All I can tell you is I met Sly Stone last night and Kevin Mazur took the picture. There is evidence. He mumbled something and gave me his home number. He is not Everyday People.
Before he went onstage, Sly was walking around for a few minutes backstage dressed as you saw him. No one recognized him. He didn’t come to rehearsals with an evident mohawk. Maybe that’s why he wore a hood.
Anyway, when he appeared on stage, you could see Steven Tyler’s eyes bulge. He didn’t know what to expect. In the holding area, watching on a monitor, Sting said, “You didn’t tell me about this.” His manager replied, “Who knew?” Indeed. Others waiting to go on just shook their heads.
Credit Tyler with trying to make the whole calamity work: he shouted out, “Let’s do it like we did in the old days, Sly.” And Tyler’s singing was outrageously cool. He hit a long falsetto note that should be put in the Smithsonian. Everyone else on stage was simply flummoxed, which accounted for the weird ending of the segment.
Sly walked right off stage and kept walking. He walked right out of the building. He did not stop. He got into a golf cart, and tried to advance. Bless his heart, Joe Perry ran after him to say goodbye and got close, maybe even shook his hand. A publicist told us, “Don’t even say his name.” It had not been an easy evening. I got the picture and the number. Dr. John, nearby, got a chuckle. We were all in the right place, at the wrong time.
UPDATE: The folks at Bond asked me to run this statement. They didn’t object to anything else in the story.
Bond Theatrical is NOT a producer on the show. We provide booking (orchestrating where the tour goes week to week and year over year across North America) services and we provide marketing & communication services for the production. The tour is being produced by Cameron Mackintosh with producing support from NETworks Presentations.
EARLIER: In two days, the touring cast of “Les Miserables” has a crushing decision.
Will all or some of them perform in the musical’s opening night at the Kennedy Center?
That’s the night Donald Trump is hosting his $2 million a ticket fundraiser. It’s still unclear who gets the money — the theater or Trump himself?
Last month it was widely reported that at least half the cast said they refused to perform for Trump and his cronies.
Since then, the producer — Bond Theatrical — has put the cast into a press blackout. They’re not allowed to speak to anyone, on or off the record, without imperiling their careers.
Wednesday will bring a showdown as programs are handed out. Will they stuffed with little white papers announcing under studies for the evening? Will the actors who do perform actually take pictures with Trump and JD Vance?
Considering “Les Miserables” is about a revolution, the opening night should be memorable.
Any ideas or thoughts on the matter? Shoot me a message at showbiz411@gmail.com.
Cynthia Erivo led one of the best Tony Awards shows ever last night, showing off so much versatility and warmth they’ll probably ask her back a couple more times.
The Tony winner and Oscar nominee is set to have a big year after this, aiming toward an Oscar win next winter for “Wicked II.”
Erivo opened the show with a spectacular number, and from there the show never slowed down. In Radio City, I’ve never seen so many thousands of people riveted to the action — and we were there for almost five hours.
The big winners, as I predicted, were “Maybe Happy Ending,” Best Musical, and “Purpose,” Best Play.
Darren Criss became the first ever graduate of the TV show, “Glee,” to win a Tony for Best in a Musical in “Maybe Happy Ending.”
The most gracious note of the night was Tony winner Glenn Close introducing Nicole Scherzinger’s performance from “Sunset Boulevard.” Close won her Tony for the same role. Scherzinger was stunning, and then picked up her own Tony.
Pretty much snubbed were all the Hollywood stars who came to town this season including George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Kieran Culkin, and so on.
The best win was Sarah Snook for “The Picture of Dorian Gray.” She won Best Actress in a Play for her 26 role extravaganza. Snook look a little tired, and you can’t blame her. What she’s doing on stage is Olympian.
A great moment: the original cast of “Hamilton” reuniting for a 10th anniversary “mixtape” performance. Led by Lin Manuel Miranda and Leslie Odom, Jr. the show still packs the same powerful punch as it did a decade ago. The Radio City audience went wild for it.
While I can’t over emphasize how great Erivo was, Jonathan Groff’s Bobby Darin was a big hit, and the cast of “Buena Vista Social Club” was spectacular. The soundtrack album from that show hit the top 20 on iTunes this morning, along with “Maybe” and “Hamilton.” The Tony sold a lot of music overnight!
Smiling big time: “Purpose” star Kara Young, who’s won two of three time. This one was her second in a row. At 55 (she looks 35 tops) Young in an overnight sensation!
Big parties followed, all over town including the main one, held at the Museum of Modern Art, where I found the great Kelli O’Hara, Oscar nominee Danielle Brooks, the cast of “Purpose,” new Tony winner Paul Tazewell, “SNL”s star Cecily Strong — who a had a baby named EmmyLou just two months ago — and Tonys producer Glenn Weiss, who took a victory lap for a job well done!
Over at the Bryant Park Grill, Darren Criss celebrated with his mother, who’d been sitting a few seats away from me in a gorgeous gown. When Criss won, mom jumped fifteen feet in the air. Criss received many hugs from Tony winner and Broadway Star Lea Salonga, who also introduced “MHE” at the show.
It was already way past 1am, but Ben Stiller was there with daughter Ella and her friends. Ella is opening in her first show this week, off Broadway. A new generation of Stillers!
Full list of winners:
Best Musical
Buena Vista Social Club
Dead Outlaw
Death Becomes Her Maybe Happy Ending
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
Best Play
English
The Hills of California
John Proctor Is the Villain
Oh, Mary! Purpose
Best Revival of a Musical
Floyd Collins
Gypsy
Pirates! The Penzance Musical Sunset Blvd.
Best Revival of a Play Eureka Day
Romeo + Juliet
Our Town
Yellow Face
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical Darren Criss — Maybe Happy Ending
Andrew Durand — Dead Outlaw
Tom Francis — Sunset Blvd.
Jonathan Groff — Just in Time
James Monroe Iglehart — A Wonderful World: The Louis Armstrong Musical
Jeremy Jordan — Floyd Collins
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Megan Hilty — Death Becomes Her
Audra McDonald — Gypsy
Jasmine Amy Rogers — Boop! The Musical Nicole Scherzinger — Sunset Blvd.
Jennifer Simard — Death Becomes Her
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
George Clooney — Good Night, and Good Luck. Cole Escola — Oh, Mary!
Jon Michael Hill — Purpose
Daniel Dae Kim — Yellow Face
Harry Lennix — Purpose
Louis McCartney — Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Laura Donnelly — The Hills of California
Mia Farrow — The Roommate
LaTanya Richardson Jackson — Purpose
Sadie Sink — John Proctor Is the Villain Sarah Snook — The Picture of Dorian Gray
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Brooks Ashmanskas — Smash
Jeb Brown — Dead Outlaw
Danny Burstein — Gypsy Jak Malone — Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical
Taylor Trensch — Floyd Collins
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical Natalie Venetia Belcon — Buena Vista Social Club
Julia Knitel — Dead Outlaw
Gracie Lawrence — Just in Time
Justina Machado — Real Women Have Curves: The Musical
Joy Woods — Gypsy
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Glenn Davis — Purpose
Gabriel Ebert — John Proctor Is the Villain Francis Jue — Yellow Face
Bob Odenkirk — Glengarry Glen Ross
Conrad Ricamora — Oh, Mary!
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Tala Ashe — English
Jessica Hecht — Eureka Day
Marjan Neshat — English
Fina Strazza — John Proctor Is the Villain Kara Young — Purpose
Best Direction of a Musical
Saheem Ali — Buena Vista Social Club Michael Arden — Maybe Happy Ending
David Cromer — Dead Outlaw
Christopher Gattelli — Death Becomes Her
Jamie Lloyd — Sunset Blvd.
Best Direction of a Play
Knud Adams — English
Sam Mendes — The Hills of California Sam Pinkleton — Oh, Mary!
Danya Taymor — John Proctor Is the Villain
Kip Williams — The Picture of Dorian Gray
Best Book of a Musical
Buena Vista Social Club — Marco Ramirez
Dead Outlaw — Itamar Moses
Death Becomes Her — Marco Pennette Maybe Happy Ending — Will Aronson and Hue Park
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical — David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts
Best Original Score
Dead Outlaw — David Yazbek and Erik Della Penna
Death Becomes Her — Julia Mattison and Noel Carey Maybe Happy Ending — Will Aronson and Hue Park
Operation Mincemeat: A New Musical — David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson, and Zoë Roberts
Real Women Have Curves: The Musical — Joy Huerta and Benjamin Velez
Best Orchestrations
Just in Time — Andrew Resnick and Michael Thurber
Maybe Happy Ending — Will Aronson
Floyd Collins — Bruce Coughlin Buena Vista Social Club — Marco Paguia
Sunset Blvd. — David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber
Best Choreography
Smash — Joshua Bergasse
Gypsy — Camille A. Brown
Death Becomes Her — Christopher Gattelli
Boop! The Musical — Jerry Mitchell Buena Vista Social Club — Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck
Best Scenic Design in a Musical
Swept Away — Rachel Hauck Maybe Happy Ending — Dane Laffrey and George Reeve
Buena Vista Social Club — Arnulfo Maldonado
Death Becomes Her — Derek McLane
Just in Time — Derek McLane
Best Costume Design in a Musical
Buena Vista Social Club — Dede Ayite
Boop! The Musical — Gregg Barnes
Maybe Happy Ending — Clint Ramos Death Becomes Her — Paul Tazewell
Just in Time — Catherine Zuber
Best Lighting Design in a Musical Sunset Blvd. — Jack Knowles
Buena Vista Social Club — Tyler Micoleau
Floyd Collins — Scott Zielinski and Ruey Horng Sun
Maybe Happy Ending — Ben Stanton
Death Becomes Her — Justin Townsend
Best Sound Design of a Musical Buena Vista Social Club — Jonathan Deans
Sunset Blvd. — Adam Fisher
Just in Time — Peter Hylenski
Maybe Happy Ending — Peter Hylenski
Floyd Collins — Dan Moses Schreier
Best Scenic Design in a Play
English — Marsha Ginsberg
The Hills of California — Rob Howell
The Picture of Dorian Gray — Marg Horwell and David Bergman Stranger Things: The First Shadow — Miriam Buether and 59 Productions
Good Night, and Good Luck. — Scott Pask
Best Costume Design in a Play
Good Night, and Good Luck. — Brenda Abbandandolo The Picture of Dorian Gray — Marg Horwell
The Hills of California — Rob Howell
Oh, Mary! — Holly Pierson
Stranger Things: The First Shadow — Brigitte Reiffenstuel
Best Lighting Design in a Play
The Hills of California — Natasha Chivers Stranger Things: The First Shadow — Jon Clark
Good Night, and Good Luck. — Heather Gilbert and David Bengali
John Proctor Is the Villain — Natasha Katz and Hannah Wasileski
The Picture of Dorian Gray — Nick Schlieper
Best Sound Design of a Play Stranger Things: The First Shadow — Paul Arditti
John Proctor Is the Villain — Palmer Hefferan
Good Night, and Good Luck. — Daniel Kluger
The Hills of California — Nick Powell
The Picture of Dorian Gray — Clemence Williams
Nine new cast members have been announced including Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley, Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy and Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy, Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan, Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil, and Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown, Bel Powley as Petunia Dursley, Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley, and Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge.
Flynn, Carvel, and and Powley are fairly well known at this point.
You can them to a long list already announced including John Lithgow and Janet McTeer.
The new take on “Harry Potter” is being filmed for HBO as a miniseries. There’s also the play on Broadway, with Tom Felton returning to play the adult version of his Draco Malfoy. What’s left? A musical, of course, and animated series. Don’t worry, they’re all coming one day!
“Good Night and Good Luck” has just concluded its live performance on CNN.
The story of how legendary CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow stared down Senator Joseph McCarthy is more timely than ever. What’s clear is that Roy Cohn, not seen in the play but McCarthy’s lackey, eventually taught Donald Trump the senator’s manner of terrorism.
The play worked better on TV than on the stage of the cavernous Winter Garden Theater. The closeups of George Clooney, who plays Murrow, transformed the production. Perhaps if “Good Night and Good Luck” had been in a human sized theater it would have worked better. But tonight, David Cromer’s production shined.
What Trump is trying to do to CBS now is an eerie parallel to the facts of the play, which took place in 1957. McCarthy thought he could shut Murrow and CBS down through blackmail and ridicule. Now Trump is trying to do the same to “60 Minutes,” a show that was led by a character in tonight’s play, Don Hewitt. If CBS caves now, this entire legacy will be wiped out. It must not happen.
The showing of the play live on CNN was a brilliant idea. Of course, this play in particular speaks to a subject that CNN finds close to the heart. But I hope the network does this again, and replays this production soon.
I’m a little surprised. Elon Musk has backed down.
At same time, so has Donald Trump.
After launching a tirade of invective and threats against Donald Trump on his own Twitter X account, Musk has removed all of them.
Trump has likewise deleted all of his bromides concerning Musk.
Is there a secret truce?
Musk vs. Trump became a Battle Royale on Wednesday and then the lead story on every newspaper, website, and TV or radio station.
Suddenly unhappy with Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” Musk went after Trump deliriously and viciously.
He suggested that Trump was all over the Jeffrey Epstein. He reTweeted a post calling for Trump’s impeachment. He endorsed the idea of JD Vance becoming president.
Trump’s cronies like Steve Bannon then claimed that Musk was in the US illegally and he could be deported. Trump said on TV that Musk was on drugs. And so on.
But now it’s all gone. Some Musk posts about the bill remain, and his call for a new political party called the America party. But the juicy stuff has vanished. What went on? Ask the lawyers. It was fun while it lasted!
Fans– especially those of Mariah Carey — know how to game iTunes.
They did a few years ago when they pushed her failed album, “Glitter,” to number 1.
Now, apparently, they’re doing it again with Mariah’s new single, “Dangerous.”
After not charting at all on Friday morning after midnight, “Dangerous” is number 1 on iTunes.
How’s it happening? Through an organized effort. Just type ‘mariah sales’ or ‘mariah lambs’ — lambs being the fans — in the Twitter X search bar and up comes dozens of posts describing the fans’ plan. They were sure that if 1,600 downloads occurred, they’d hit number 1. Apparently they were correct.
The fans were not so attentive, however, on YouTube. The lyric video for “Dangerous” has attracted just 470,000 views. Released at the same time, Sabrina Carpenter’s Doobie Brothers inflected “Manchild” has had 5.8 million views.
Can the coordinated campaign be sustained? On Spotify, so far, the same hasn’t happened for streaming “Dangerous.” It would actually seem easier to manipulate streaming since it only requires playing the song over and over by tapping the telephone.
These are like the same people who drive “All I Want for Christmas” to number 1 for a week or two at Christmas.
At the same as Mariah’s fans are playing games, someone is doing the same with 90s boyband The Backstreet Boys. Literally overnight, the Boys’ 1999 “Millennium” album has shot to number 1 on the iTunes album chart. Six of its tracks have risen simultaneously to numbers 10, 11, 12, and so on, on the same on the singles chart. Again, no sign of any of it on streaming.
Gaming iTunes is not news. K Pop bands do it all the time. Again, out of nowhere, a BTS member’s album rises to number 1 overnight. The singles chart is stuffed with tracks from the album. This only lasts a few days at most, and no one you know has ever heard any of it.
So stay tuned. We’ll see how long this can go on for. One day’s sales won’t make any of this stuff number 1 for a week. And it’s a problem Apple doesn’t care about. As long as someone is paying to download the record, that’s fine with them.
