Celebrity
The Glorious Corner
MICHAEL STANLEY RIP — (Via Deadline) Michael Stanley, who parlayed rocker stardom in the 70’s and 80’s into successful stints in radio and television in his later years, died Friday of lung cancer at his home. He was 72 and his death was confirmed by his manager.
Stanley’s rock career was solid in Ohio and the Midwest, but never quite broke through nationally, save for his hit song “He Can’t Love You.” He later was an afternoon drive DJ and Saturday mornings host playing classic rock on radio station 98.5 WNCX. He was at the station for more than 30 years, ending his stint just last month when ill health overtook him.
He also won 11 local Emmy Awards as co-host of WJW Channel 8′s PM Magazine from 1987 to 1990, and then spent another year on the station’s Cleveland Tonight. He played himself on an episode of The Drew Carey Show.
Born Michael Stanley Gee, he grew up in Northeast Ohio, graduating Hiram College, and then later attended on a baseball scholarship.
He played in a band called The Tree Stumps, then Silk, and was able to secure his first record contract in 1969. His record company changed his name to Michael Stanley.
In 1974, Stanley formed the band that took his name. The Michael Stanley Band, or MSB for short, would record 11 studio albums and set concert attendance records in Ohio.
“I didn’t get into this whole thing to be the front man of MSB or whatever,” Stanley told local Ohio TV station 3News’ Monica Robins in 2014. “I got in it to be a songwriter. That’s what I wanted to do.”
The group scored in 1981 when the song He Can’t Love You cracked the Billboard Top 40, getting as high as No. 33 on the chart. Two years later, My Town became the band’s second Top 40 hit, peaking at No. 39. He will have a posthumous album, Tough Room, out later this year.
Stanley was deeply involved in the local Cleveland community, so much so that a section of Cleveland’s Huron Avenue was renamed Michael Stanley Way in 2019.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, based in Cleveland, issued a statement Saturday, remembering Stanley as “our city’s most beloved musician, songwriter and rocker.”
“His heartland music resonated with legions of listeners, and his concerts set attendance records and took on mythic proportions. Even more importantly, Michael’s songs spoke to our hearts. As fans we adored and revered him, and in return he loved us right back. The energy of his music and its ability to bring people together helped to make Cleveland the Rock and Roll Capital of the World, and it galvanized the community to rally together and make our city the home of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We will miss Michael dearly.”
Said PR-pasha David Salidor, “When I worked at the legendary My Father’s Place eons ago, Stanley was a regular and what a great guy. Always terrifically affable. His music maybe never hit the bar of say, Springsteen, but each show he did was packed. He’d hang out with the staff before and after. Great memories for sure and am sorry he has graduated to the next plane. Stellar fellow for sure! RIP Michael!”
SHORT TAKES — Robert Miller from Project Grand Slam, debuts his podcast Follow Your Dream on March 15. His first guest is radio-personality Bruce Morrow. I just heard a portion of it and its simply superb with Morrow dropping some great memories of The Beatles at Shea Stadium; Ed Sullivan (remember him?); and, the demise of the great CBS-FM (where Monkee-Micky Dolenz was a DJ as well). We’ll have it here on the 15th …
Get ready for a major new name on the music scene: Sergio Kardenas. His manager tipped me to some of his music and I just fell in love with it. EDM-based for sure, it’s terrifically melodic and immediately compelling. We’ll have more on his rise to success here shortly …
Mark Josephson, one of the original founders of the New Music Seminar passed last week. Josephson, along with partner Danny Heaps, ran Rockpool – which was basically a record pool for the burgeoning new wave artists and music of the time. Josephson partnered up with Thomas Silverman, David Salidor, Scott Anderson and Steve Singer and introduced the MNS which ran for several years. The late-Joel Webber came aboard years later. It was a major event dung the late 80’s and early 90’s; and, it was the industry event to be at for sure, with the likes of Frank Zappa delivering one keynote address and acts like Madonna and Nile Rogers on the artist panel. Having been there at each event, I was surprised that Mark’s passing was not noticed more by the industry. Yes, the industry has changed dramatically in even the last five years and events like SXSW and Coachella may well have eclipsed the NMS, but they all owe a debt of gratitude for sure. Rest easy Mark … Quote of the week: Think you’ve seen ‘Tenet’? You haven’t been truly confused and underwhelmed until you’ve seen it on the BIG screen! …
More news from 7a’s Glenn Gretlund and his new Micky Dolenz album Dolenz Sings Nesmith. The long awaited album is set for a May release … And, RIP Tony Hendra.
NAMES IN THE NEWS — Tom & Lisa Cuddy; Lush Ice; Vic Kastel; Carol Ruth Weber; Eppy; Buddy Blanchard; Randy Alexander; Jimmy Bralower; Bruce Goldberg; Deb Caponetta; Sweet Pea Atkinson; Peppermint Lounge; Nick Ware; Melissa Davis; Linda Ronstadt; Coati Mundi; Brad LeBeau; Thomas Silverman; and, ZIGGY!
G.H. Harding
I COME TO SKYDANCE — Much chatter about David Ellison this week, after buying Paramount and Warner Brothers, and formerly changing the corporate name to Skydance; which was originally just his production company. For the 103-year old Warner’s and the 114-year old Paramount, it was quite a shock. The Warner’s logo remains on the full menu card, along with Paramount (albeit in a smaller format), but still, quite a shock.
SHORT TAKES — The opening of Tom Cruise’s Digger was his lowest opening in 19 years. Sure, it’s di rigueur to dislike it now, but I still want to see it. I mean, it can’t be that bad, can it? Deadline’s Pete Hammond said the film: “is unlike any film coming from a major Hollywood studio in years” and that Inarritu “takes things much further and thus could be one of the more divisive movies for the masses in a very long time.” Early reporting says the movie could lose around 150 million …
Pete Townshend
Pete Townshend: Behind Blue Eyes held its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival. It’s directed by Frank Marshall (The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart) and Nigel Sinclair (producer, Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It). The Preston doc was superb, but almost no one saw it and currently the Townshend doc doesn’t have a distributor yet, but should. Townshend remains one of the pillars of rock ‘n roll in my book …
Lizzo
Excellent Willie Geist interview with Lizzo yesterday on Sunday Today, on her new kids book. Towards the end of the interview, Geist delved into the scandals that enveloped her and the fact that they were summarily dismissed. Her career was severely derailed and the powers that be are trying to resurrect it with minimum success thus far. Good dialogue for sure …
We saw a great movie called Tuner. Yes, about a piano tuner, with Dustin Hoffman and a great performance from Leo Woodall (White Lotus), Havana Rose Liu and Alisen Richmond-Peck. It starts out great and ends a little roughly, but rolls on with tremendous heart. Epic for sure. Sharply directed and written by Daniel Roher, it’s quite a tale. There’s even a cameo from our old friend Herbie Hancock! A must-see for certain … Rolling Stone’s Andy Greene at Micky Dolenz’s weekend show at AC’s Borgata … Happy BDay Lindsey Buckingham and Brent Blanchard.
G.H. Harding
KIMMEL IN BROOKLYN — After a wildly, odd interview with Howard Stern this week, where he put down both ABC and Disney, he looked terribly fatigued.
I’ve been a fierce advocate for Stern for years, but I did detect just a touch of wanting to take-a-step-back.
He conquered radio and now I expect him to do the same with HBO/MAX.
Interesting for sure.
Ray Caviano
CAVIANO PASSES — You might not recognize the name Ray Caviano, but he passed this week. Ray had the distinction of being one of the youngest-ever record company presidents in the music business and really unparalleled success back in the 80s. He was the one constant voice behind the disco-explosion back then. The Village People; Br. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band; Voyage; and Peter Brown … all his.
Ray negotiated this success into a tremendous deal with Warner Brothers commanding a staggering $6 million dollars a year and his own label and staff. His PR-team at the time, which included veteran-PR-meister Howard Bloom, termed him the six-million-dollar man, and it was a great rags-to-riches story. From Madeline Kahn, to George Benson, the B52s, Grace Jones, The Doobie Brothers, Prince to Chaka Kahn, Rod Stewart and Ashford and Simpson, Caviano just scored a staggering degree of success.
From what I remember, all the other-labels modeled what they did after Ray and his christened label, RFC Records; which introduced Venus Dodson; Gino Soccio; The Mighty Pope; and Change, which featured Luther Vandross. He hit the top, no question, but then personal problems got in the way and he was essentially blacklisted.
I never met him, but constantly hear some of his successes and they were indeed cataclysmic as his music lives today. RIP.
SHORT TAKES — Edna Gudnersen, from USA Today fame, wrote a terrific article for AARP on who should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. No big surprises, but once again she’s hit the nail right on the head. One interesting post simply said: the voters can change it. Take a read: https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/music/rock-and-roll-hall-of-fame-snubs/?fbclid=IwY2xjawUrIH1leHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mBWJyaWQRMU9mVTJENHlUU21yQm8wbHdzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeCMUfSZdob2E0b7OqMN0tqZbMXfnFz1ib0PrxztT-BeCdBi54rZKmIAL-s50_aem_-r3LegoVNsCszZW3QsX1hQ …
Slow Horses
Wednesday night meant a new Slow Horses and Ted Lasso on Apple+. Surprise. Both shows have been staggeringly lackluster this season so far. U.K.’s The Guardian even termed Horses whiny! The fellow who created Horses, Will Smith, left and it’s become still good, but terribly ordinary and a lot less of Gary Oldman. Sad …
This week the long-expected merger between Paramount and Warner Brothers took place and guess who was installed as boss? The CEO of Mattel. People in Hollywood are sending are their resumes right now …
Ringo Starr
Still more buzz on that Far Out/Todd Rundgren interview. In a further missive, after dissing Taylor Swift, Rundgren now claims that Ringo best-survived The Beatles. Fascinating. Take a read: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/todd-rundgren-ringo-starr-only-one-survived-beatles/?fbclid=IwY2xjawUqT4hleHRuA2FlbQIxMABwZG9mBWJyaWQRMWlGYWlyRW14Z24wNHIwUEJzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeH9wqOi0plYRGr801XxzuKtasXnT8D_3b9Dfn_FPCaUOrH88qlWOw_CkfdCA_aem_Hap2wxG63VvIwa5wC0KzGw … And, Chuck Darrow had a great piece on Micky Dolenz for his weekend show at The Borgata in AC. Take a read: https://shorelocalnews.com/when-being-an-architect-was-micky-dolenzs-career-blueprint/
NAMES IN THE NEWS — Anthony Pomes; Fred Goodman; Allen Klein; Paul Bartels; JIm Yukich; Tracy Lords; Bryce Grakal; Ken Sharp; Chuck Darrow; Melissa Davis; Magda Katz; Cori Gardner; Donnie Kehr; Bill McCuddy; Deb Caponetta; Jeff Vogel; Steve Leeds; Ed Steinberg; John Sykes; Tom & Lisa Cuddy; and SADIE!
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Art Direction and Set Art by Jana Frost for TIME @janafrost.art and Photography by Stefano Giuliano for TIME @stefanogiovannigiuliano
Power used to arrive with age, position and a very impressive office. Not anymore.
TIME has unveiled its 2026 TIME100 Next, its annual look at 100 rising figures already altering the worlds of entertainment, music, sports, technology, business, science, politics and culture. The list was created in 2019 around a deceptively simple idea: influence itself was changing. Increasingly, people weren’t waiting for traditional institutions to hand them authority. They were building audiences, companies, movements, careers and entirely new avenues of influence for themselves. TIME
This year’s three worldwide covers make the point rather beautifully. Raye, Ashley Padilla and Druski occupy wildly different corners of contemporary culture, yet each represents the kind of career that doesn’t necessarily follow the old map. Raye has become an international musical force, Padilla has emerged as one of Saturday Night Live’s breakout talents, and Druski has transformed digital comedy into an expanding entertainment empire. TIME
The fascination of TIME100 Next has always been less about celebrity than trajectory. These are not lifetime-achievement awards. The question is not simply, What have you done? It is: Where might what you’re doing take the rest of us?
That makes some of the pairings between honorees and the people writing about them almost as interesting as the list itself. LeBron James writes about Tyrese Maxey; Matthew McConaughey takes on Arch Manning; Natalie Portman writes about Charles Melton; Rafael Nadal considers Alexandra Eala; Anya Taylor-Joy writes about Raye; Trevor Noah celebrates Wawira Njiru; Kylie Minogue writes about Troye Sivan; Charli xcx takes on Alex Consani; Bill Nye writes about Gretchen Goldman; Lin-Manuel Miranda on Joshua Henry: Sarah Michelle Gellar on Sarah Pidgeon and chef Eric Ripert weighs in on E.J. Lagasse.
Joshua Henry
Taken together, the names reveal just how broadly TIME now defines influence. Entertainment is represented by Ashley Padilla, Druski, Charles Melton, Eiza González, Joey King, Molly Gordon, Cooper Hoffman, Himesh Patel, Sarah Pidgeon, Paapa Essiedu, Dominic Sessa and Joshua Henry, among others. Music brings Raye, Troye Sivan, PinkPantheress, Megan Moroney, Conan Gray, Alex Warren and Sombr, while the sports world includes Arch Manning, Tyrese Maxey, Naomi Girma, Alexandra Eala, Folarin Balogun and Olivia Miles.
Perhaps the most striking name in that last group is Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, the 15-year-old cricket player and youngest person on the 2026 list. There is no age requirement for TIME100 Next, which seems entirely appropriate for a project built around the proposition that influence no longer waits politely for seniority.
Elsewhere, the list stretches from fashion designers Robert Wun and Daniella Kallmeyer to chef E.J. Lagasse, model Alex Consani, artist Claire Tabouret and an expanding class of entrepreneurs, scientists and AI innovators. The result is less a traditional power list than a snapshot of where power appears to be migrating.
There is an interesting distinction there. Fame and influence are not necessarily the same thing. One attracts attention; the other changes behavior, industries, conversations or possibilities. The strongest choices on TIME100 Next are the people beginning to do both.
As TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs explains, the publication launched the franchise because influence increasingly arrives earlier and through channels operating outside traditional establishments. The editors spent months looking internationally for people connected to the stories reshaping the moment, including artificial intelligence, education, immigration and emerging forms of political leadership. TIME
The list will move from the page to New York on October 29, when TIME gathers its 2026 honorees for the sixth annual TIME100 Next event. Raye will perform, with appearances scheduled from Druski, Conan Gray and Eiza González, among others.
Perhaps that is the most interesting thing about a list devoted to the future. Inevitably, some names will become enormous, some will surprise us, and others will eventually make us wonder what we saw in them in the first place. That’s part of the fun.
Identifying established power is easy. The far more interesting question is recognizing it while it is still becoming.
G.H. Harding
MADONNA AT THE VMAs — 42 years ago Lady M first appeared on the VMAs and her opening appearance Sunday night was definitely something to see, but I have to admit, it felt to me very, very dated. Almost like I had seen it before. Also, the song they performed, “Bring Your Love,” sounded liked a bastard version of maybe her biggest hit “Vogue.” The segment which seemed to morph into a washroom seem out of place too. Was it a winner?
Then with Charlie XCX and Sabrina Carpenter joining her, the song tuned to “Dancetreia Afterhours.” Again, somewhat dated.
Fox News called that opening number a showstopper. Really?
Per Deadline: The MTV Video Music Awards may not have the same meaning as it did in the 1990s but it’s clear that this year’s event had more juice than in a number of years. Per Nielsen’s fast nationals, the ceremony hit an 11-year high and was up over 50% over the numbers from last year.
For a spirited take on the show, check out this from Hollywood Reporter andVariety
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/music/music-news/2026-mtv-vmas-best-moments-1236713378/
BEAT STREET RETURNS — Beat Street was a film from 1984; Harry Belafonte was involved an mega-producer Arthur Baker did the music. Poised to return to Broadway, the original film was produced by Belafonte and David V. Picker, with music by Belafonte and Baker, story by Steven Hager, screenplay by Andrew Davis, David Gilbert & Paul Golding, and directed by Stan Lathan,
Beat Street starred Rae Dawn Chong, Gus Davis, and Jon Chardiet.
The film was a culmination of early-rap music, from Afrika Bambaataa to The Soul Sonic Force. Indie labels such as Tommy Boy; Prelude; Profile; Next Plateau; West End; Emergency; and Buddah had broken through like never before.
The film was a so-so hit; more historical than anything else. A fresh take may be the answer. Read via Deadline:
https://deadline.com/2026/09/beat-street-broadway-nas-creative-team-1237116101/
SHORT TAKES — Micky Dolenz, whose new EP Timeless is a critical hit, speaks to Ken Sharp for Rock Cellar Magazine this week …
Tiffany and Bobby Shaw (Facebook)
SIGHTING: NY-promo man Bobby Shaw at Tiffany’s last Spandex performance in NYC …
As expected, Tom Cruise’s Digger -opening this week- has scored reviews from positive to negative. I loved Birdman,but director Alejandro G. Inarritu, is one not to ever second guess. Right now, it’s a dead even 50% split. The always-scintillating Pete Hammond from Deadline had one great review, check it out here: https://deadline.com/2026/09/digger-review-tom-cruise-movie-1237115519/…
Charlie Sheen
Charlie Sheen and his father Martin Sheen are back playing father and son for the first time in over a decade. The duo is headlining Happy Jack, a comedy series for AMC. The half-hour family comedy has been greenlit for six episodes and will start production at Warner Bros. Studios, in the studio where Friends was filmed, for a 2027 launch. The pair have portrayed on screen father and son in a number of movies and series, most recently on Anger Management, the sitcom that premiered on FX in 2012, and most famously in Wall Street … In the new trailer for Netflix, The One About Matthew Perry, the late Friends star reflects on his TV success and the toll it took. In a voiceover early in the clip, Perry says, “I said God, you can do anything you want to me just please make me famous.” When fame arrived, Perry reflected, “God did not forget the other part.” take a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iM1AOFxoDI … Happy Bday Elizabeth Neff and Chuck Taylor!
NAMES IN THE NEWS — Rusty Cutchin; Phil DiMauro; Mike Sigman; Tom & Lisa Cuddy; Race Taylor; Ross Zappin; David Adelson; Lee Jeske; Pete Townshend; Vince Aletti; Bob Siegal; Michael Musto; Don Wardell; Arthur Bell; Roger Friedman; Denny O’Connor; Phil Goldstein; Marty Ostrow; Lorylace; Kevin Mazur; Chuck Pulin; Bob Gruen; Ebet Roberts; Andy Greene; Abby Rose; and ZIGGY!
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G.H. Harding
ONE MORE PHIL? — I am and always have been a fan of Phil Collins. His run of seemingly endless hits in the 80s was unprecedented and you know what, most of those songs were just sensational. Give his 1984 smash “Take A Look At Me Now” from Taylor Hackford’s Against All Odds another listen:
It was when their Seconds Out album was out and I got to witness first-hand at least a dozen Genesis shows. Work? No, great fun and stunning shows.
Taylor Swift/ Showgirl
I just read the first-ever negative review of Taylor Swift’s from her newly remixed Showgirl opus. Has the backlash begun? Take a read:
Star Trek: Brave New Worlds
… Star Trek’s Brave New Worlds ended their Season 4 with an episode titled “Tomorrow’s Enterprise” that involved time-travel episode and foretold what becomes of the crew in the future There’s a five-show Season 5 coming, but this episode was full of much hard-to-follow intel, plus the resolution of a space-baby (yes, i did say that). There were 2 different Uhura’s and much complicated information to follow. The show’s Season 4 was good, but despite the puppet-episode and a trip back in time, not all that special. One pundit commented that this episode could easily have been a show-finale and they’re definitely right. As I’ve said before, Anson Mount’s role of Captain Christopher Pike has been severely trimmed down, which has been a shame. On a scale of 1-10, I’d give this Season a 6 …
U2
there’s a new U2 single (“Silencio”) for the band celebrating 50 years with all the original members still present. Impressive. And their first full album in 9 years is coming. And, in the video I see Bono has his cowboy hat back. Take a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mCN-RDh0-0&list=RD1mCN-RDh0-0&start_radio=1
Race Taylor
Race Taylor has left CBS-FM. I’ve known Race since his days at the much-missed WPLJ. One of the best voices in NYC without a doubt Check this out:https://onthedial.net/2026/09/race-taylor-says-goodbye-to-wcbs-fm-and-new-york-loses-another-voice-that-actually-belonged-here/?fbclid=IwY2xjawUlWHNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBwZG9mBWJyaWQRMTJJTTNlYlJXY3hpdkZDN0pzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEemO37XL_cGO6A_pNHhJXKwm-QSBD65jgCZ_s9nxKfPmLHrlfggCHfZHj6AMg_aem_ZxBl5VhQSn7B8cJlLbNsCw
My View: “High Noon” at the Dutch Treat Club’s Opening Night
A Few Good Men Meets the Press: Michael Arden and Aaron Sorkin Return to the Truth
Live From The Hotel Edison Times Square Chronicles Presents Artist and Surgeon Don Hershman
Deborah Cox Brings Star Power to The New York Pops Underground for a Night of Music That Matters
Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: My Favorite Hungarian Piarist Debutante Ball NYC Returns in 2027!
America Wants 1,000 Space Launches a Year. The Bottleneck May Be Paperwork.
Soon: When the End of the World Is Easier Than Opening the Door
A Magical Night with Catherine Russell and Cyndi Lauper
My View: “High Noon” at the Dutch Treat Club’s Opening Night
A Few Good Men Meets the Press: Michael Arden and Aaron Sorkin Return to the Truth
Live From The Hotel Edison Times Square Chronicles Presents Artist and Surgeon Don Hershman
Deborah Cox Brings Star Power to The New York Pops Underground for a Night of Music That Matters
Prince Mario-Max Schaumburg-Lippe: My Favorite Hungarian Piarist Debutante Ball NYC Returns in 2027!
America Wants 1,000 Space Launches a Year. The Bottleneck May Be Paperwork.
Soon: When the End of the World Is Easier Than Opening the Door
A Magical Night with Catherine Russell and Cyndi Lauper
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