EARTH, WIND & FIRE DOC — With some downtime this weekend, I dialed up the HBO/MAX doc on Earth, Wind & fire called Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs That’s the Weight of the World), and it was actually one of the best I’ve yet seen. To be honest, it focused almost solely on the mastermind of the group Maurice White.

Maurice White

To me, fashioning a group, budling an image and achieving some degree of success is a monumental task. I’ve personally seen too many bands or artists completely miss it. But what White was able to accomplish is astonishing.

I first became aware the band through some amazing albums and of course, their song “September” sealed the deal.

White passed in 2016, so the footage of him is all archival and the current interviews with producers., relatives and band members tale on an. But the remembrances of everyone from Stevie Wonder, to manager Bob Cavallo, Flea, and the Obamas is marvelous. Its of the same caliber as HBO’s Billy Joel doc from last year.

Produced by Questlove, it’s definitely on my year end list.

DOLENZ ON CARTER — Micky Dolenz was interviewed on KLOS/Breakfast with The Beatles Sunday with Chris Carter, and it was a good one, as Carter discussed Dolenz’s just-released EP Timeless, featuring the singles “Terri” and “Any Way You Want Me To.” Carter also played Dolenz’s recordings of “Good Morning Good Morning” and “Blackbird” which remain standouts.

Carter said that his “Good Morning Good Morning” was one of the most requested non-Beatle songs on his show for years. btw: That track is from Dolenz’s stunningly good Remember album in 2012.

With the official 60th anniversary show this Saturday at The United Theater Downtown. Congrats also to Carter for his 25th anniversary of his show. Brilliant!

SHORT TAKES — When Apple’s Silo first stated, I watched the first episode and just couldn’t get into it. I’ve gone back and become a die-hard fan. It’s a bit hard to follow at time, but their Season 3 finale was last week and a rip-roaring affair it was. There was also a trailer for their next and final season (already filmed) which was phenomenal. It’s become one of Apple’s golden eggs. Rebecca Ferguson is sensational … RIP Jon Small from Billy Joel-fame. Check out this from People: https://people.com/billy-joel-mourns-jon-small-death-longtime-collaborator-friend-12110501 … When Carnival Dogs played My Father’s Place this past weekend, proprietor Eppy said  “I think Jim Morrison is suddenly in the room” …

Oasis has always been a mixed bag for me. I love their music – ‘Wonderworld” is a stone cold classic, but the rivalry between the two brothers, Liam and Noel casts a real, down note for me. Their new doc Don’t Look back In Anger should prove interetsing. Check out this review, which amazingly says the doc ends not with an Oasis song, but with a version of the Hal David/Burt Bacharach song “What The World Needs Now Is Love. ” https://www.pressreader.com/uk/the-scottish-mail-on-sunday/20260906/281728391395114 … Happy Bday Nancy Jeffries and Henry Diltz!

NAMES IN THE NEWS — Jane Blunkell; Chris Carter; Johns Hughes; Terri Layne; Tom & Lisa Cuddy; Rodney Bingenheimer; Thomas Silverman; Steve Singer; John Hughes; Jodi Ritzen; Jacqueline Boyd; Alison Martino; Debra Moreno; Andy Skurow; Steve Walter; Susan Hathaway; Chuck Pulin; Chris Ortiz; Freddie Bastone; Mark Bego; and ZIGGY!

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G.H. Harding

STERN ROLLS THE DICE … AGAIN — (Via Barrett Media) What They Said: “As the ‘King of All Media,’ I am honored to bring my SiriusXM show to HBO Max, and through HBO Max to worldwide distribution. For years, my SiriusXM show has offered only brief video peeks. HBO convinced me to pull back the curtain and let the world watch; the amazing celebrities and musicians who drop by, our staff antics, and my conversations with Robin.

Bringing my latest SiriusXM shows to HBO Max’s millions of viewers, every week, is a career highlight, and I’m thrilled to be joining the ranks of such prestigious television.” -Howard Stern

“Howard Stern has always been in a category of his own with an unmistakable, unique take on the world. Howard has changed radio and media at large with his ability to draw the most out of his guests and cultivate a following like no other. We couldn’t be happier to welcome Howard to HBO Max and to partner with SiriusXM to bring The Howard Stern Show to the platform.” -HBO CEO and Chairman Casey Bloys

What Remains Unclear: HBO Max hasn’t detailed how long each episode will run or how much material from the weekly SiriusXM broadcast will make the cut. The companies also haven’t announced whether episodes will remain available indefinitely after their Thursday premieres.

What It Means: The partnership gives Stern another major distribution outlet while HBO Max gains one of radio’s most recognizable personalities. Moreover, the move could introduce Stern’s celebrity interviews and signature conversations to viewers who don’t subscribe to SiriusXM. For SiriusXM, the deal also creates another avenue to showcase one of its biggest stars.

Don Buchwald

Say and think what you will, but Howard Stern remains a major, major force. The death of his uber agent Don Buchwald and the retirement of SirusXM’s Mel Karmazin hit him hard, but he keeps moving forward. His interviews nowadays are only with the top marquee names out there and actually, very well done. I’ve known him for years and remain in awe.

Is his show as BIG as ever? Hard call to make … but he wouldn’t be able to make thieve staggering deals if his audience was indeed shrinking. I mean, you don’t back a loser … right?

Pete Townshend

SHORT TAKES — Pete Townshend has had to withdraw from Eric Clapton’s upcoming Crossroads event due to an injury. But, donated $50,000 to the event. Read more here: https://rockcelebrities.net/pete-townshend-exits-eric-claptons-festival-last-minute-issues-statement/?fbclid=IwY2xjawUCz0hwZG9mBWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMU9oRzVja2ZjMUplN09qNDdzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeamuIvZo9FIjaujPSqCRNj6r1Kf9YXn9xoYyi9BeqRWJWhWlFrTfJTwhbZ8Q_aem_3OUoPMGvFsaM6WZPGYH-Zw …More Who: The Who’s most moody and introspective album, 1975’s The Who by Numbers, is being expanded for a new reissue. The super-deluxe 5CD/Blu-ray box set includes 92 unreleased tracks and mixes, including Atmos, 5.1 and stereo mixes by Pete Townshend. Highlights include 11 of Townshend’s original demos for the album, concert appearances, tracking sessions, early mixes and guide vocals. See a complete track listing below, along with an early mix of “Imagine a Man” with Townshend on vocals. Preordering for the set is already underway. It’s due on Oct. 30 …Weighing in on the John Galliano/Anna Wintour Met-disaster, all I can say is that it was noteworthy that Galliano pulled out first, saving Wintour from further fallout. Look, it was a poor choice for sure and although a lot of ink was generated, now they’ve got to find a replacement. Read more here: https://pagesix.com/2026/08/31/style/john-galliano-themed-met-gala-2027-cancelled-after-backlash/ … I still can’t believe that ZZ Top performes at Long Island’s Eisenhower Park – formerly known as Salisbury Park – tonight. I grew up 15-minutes away! …

The third installment of HBO’s Lanterns was just as eerie as their first two. Damon Lindelöf never fails to amaze as he creates a great story, although subtly changing the origin story. Amazing … Congratulations Kaity Tong … Noah Jupe from Hamnet is joining Avengers:Secret Wars; the installment after December’s Doomsday … Happy Bday Van Morrison; Barry Gibb; and Carol Ross!

NAMES IN THE NEWS —Romeo Escobar; Jane Blunkell; Chris Ortiz; Manny Bella; Eppy; Marty Balin; Dave Mason; Carmine Appice; Leslie Gold; Steve Walter; Jerry Lembo; Tom & Lisa Cuddy; Judy Kaufman; Judy Libow; Steve Leeds; Tony Mandich; Jacqueline Boyd; Rick Rinehart; Angela Tarantino; Andy Skurow; Randy Jones; Jane Berk; and SADIE!

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G.H. Harding

DOLLY LOVE — (Via Forgotten Hits) The day of Dolly Parton’s death, her music was streamed 26.3 million times … incredible … more than any other artist other than Drake, who had 36.6 million streams, thanks to three recent album releases. To put things in perspective, exactly one week before her death, Dolly only earned 1.2 million total streams … still a pretty impressive number for an artist that has pretty much been out of the limelight for a while now.

Her top three streams included “Jolene” (2.7 million), “9 To 5” (2.3 million streams) and “Islands In The Stream,” her #1 duet hit with Kenny Rogers (1.8 million streams).  Don’t be surprised to see a number of Dolly’s hits to re-enter The Hot 100 as well as Billboard’s Album Chart. (“The Ultimate Dolly Parton” is already poised to debut in The Top Ten!)

The song was “I Will Always Love You” … the showpiece of her career.  She may have made more money off Whitney Houston’s recording of that song than she did during the entire rest of her career!  Dolly says she didn’t even know Whitney had recorded it (for the soundtrack to the Kevin Costner film “The Bodyguard.”)  She first heard it while driving home one day and said she became so emotional she had to pull off the road in front of the Walgreens just to listen.  She had no idea her song could ever sound like that and was overcome with joy.

Whitney’s version topped The Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart for fourteen weeks in 1992, selling over four million copies at the time.  (It has since surpassed ten million digital downloads … and won Grammy Awards for Record Of The Year and Pop Female Vocal Of The Year.)  Dolly subsequently invested the money generated by the songwriting royalties from Houston’s version into a Nashville community, purchasing a commercial property and shopping complex in a predominantly Black area of Nashville.

She went on to describe the property as “The house that Whitney built.”   Although Elvis never recorded the song professionally, Priscilla Presley later told Parton that Elvis had sung the song to her around the time their divorce was finalized.  Dolly’s original version did top the country charts … but it was Whitney Houston who turned it into an anthem.  Dolly wrote the song in 1973 as a goodbye to her former partner, Porter Wagoner.  She had decided to leave his television program and pursue a solo career.  Looks like she made the right decision a couple of times on this one!

NBC’s Willie Geist had a terrific remembrance and noted that Parton may have written “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” in the same writing session. Now, that’s extraordinary.

A collective loss for sure.

FURIOUS — One of the surprise hits of this year has been Hulu’s Furious;starring Emmy Rossum and the show has just been renewed for a second season; as its finale airs tonight. The real amazing aspect is that the show is loosely inspired by the 1987 psychological thriller film Black Widow from director Bob Rafelson; starring Debra Winger and Theresa Russell and was written by Ron Bass. Amazingly, also in the film was Dennis Hopper; Terry O’Quinn and Diane Ladd.

Scoot McNairy

Rossum is exceptionally good, but also in the cast is Scoot McNairy, who was so good in Argo; Godless; and Wonderland. McNairy is one of those actors whose mere presence boots any production. Like Bill Camp, he’s the key utility player.

Read Variety’s take on the early renewal: https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/furious-season-2-hulu-1236845363/

Bebe Rexa

SHORT TAKES — Where’s the band? Bebe Rexha on Friday’s Today had absolutely no band onstage with her, just her 6 dancers. I am astonished that it’s now pro forma not to have a band. Amazing. I wonder where the audience thinks the music comes from … or, do they just not care? Leather-clad Bebe did have some thoughts on Dolly Parton which were heartfelt. Her song “New Religion” sounds like a dance-track from the 80s. At times she reminded this writer of Meghan Trainor, who seems to have disappeared. Times are a changing my friends …

Anthony Pomes/Carnival Dogs

Doors-tribute band Carnival Dogs at My Father’s Placeon September 4. Anthony Pomes tunes in to his inner Jim Morrison …

We watched the new Netflix movie The Whisper Man with Robert DeNiro, Adam Scott, Michele Monaghan and Michael Keaton and was not impressed at all. A thriller, but the plot we’ve seen many, many times before. Keaton though, was rather sensational as a serial killer. I’d skip it for sure. It was definitely not Raging Bull … I watched an interview with James Gandolfini and he said that one of his early jobs -for two years- was as a bouncer at Private Eyes. That was one of my favorite clubs back in the day with Scott Blackwell at the turntables … Star Trek: Brave New World’s “Off Hour” episode was exquisite, after two somewhat lackluster shows (yes, the Muppet show included). It’s been an odd season so far, with Anson Mount (Captain Christopher Pike) sort of taking a back seat to all the other characters. I’m still at a loss to explain why, during the run of their last Season (3), they announced the show’s end after its next abbreviated Season 5. I mean, when you have a hit, you shoot for the fences. Weird for sure. Here’s an in-depth review from the AV Club: https://www.avclub.com/star-trek-strange-new-worlds-recap-season-4-episode-6-off-hour …

There’s chatter about a re-boot of TV’s Manifest. Great news, but I hope they bring back the original cast, rather than cast new faces. Check this out: https://deadline.com/2026/08/manifest-spinoff-series-arrivals-netflix-jeff-rake-1237061668/ …  Julie Menin: NYC’s next Mayor?… Micky Dolenz on KTLA Thursday and Chris Carter’s Breakfast With The Beatles Sunday … Happy Bday Bruce Carbone!

NAMES ON THE NEWS — Brian Williams; Jane Blunkell; Tony Scott; James Gandolfini; Robert Funaro; Angela Trantino; Tobe Becker; Judy Libow; Steve Leeds; Paige Morrow; John Hughes; Tom & Lisa Cuddy; Michael Fuchs; Roger Friedman; Richard Johnson; Bruce Haring; Peter Shendell; Lee Jeske; Randy Alexander; Judy Kaufman; Marjorie Schwartz; Melissa Davis; Deb Caponetta; and CHIP!