The Glorious Corner

CHRISTINE McVIE PASSES — There’s was never any question in my mind; Christine McVie was indeed the heart and soul of Fleetwood Mac. She passed Wednesday after a short illness. Mick Fleetwood was the drummer supreme; Stevie Nicks was the eye candy; John McVie always hid playing his bass in the back and Lindsey Buckingham was the macho-flash.

Everyone loved Christine McVie. Her songs may not have been on the magnitude of “Stairway To Heaven” but they were simply terrific; including “Don’t Stop,” “Songbird,” “Little Lies,” “Everywhere,” “Over My Head” and my personal favorite, “Night in Estoril” which is on the much-overlooked and underrated Fleetwood Mac album Time (1995). For true-Mac Fans, that album contained one other classic track, “I Wonder Why” written and sung by Dave Mason who joined the Mac for that album.

For me, McVie first caught my eye as Christine Perfect in the guise of the band Chicken Shack. Like all good origin stories, she wound up in Fleetwood Mac, married John McVie and made history.

And, for the record: I first got into the music of the Mac with their terrific still “Oh Well” in 1969; the track was written by Peter Green and still rocks to this day.

Fleetwood Mac said of McVie’s passing: “There are no words to describe our sadness at the passing of Christine McVie. She was truly one-of-a-kind, special and talented beyond measure. She was the best musician anyone could have in their band and the best friend anyone could have in their life. We were so lucky to have a life with her. Individually and together, we cherished Christine deeply and are thankful for the amazing memories we have. She will be so very missed.”

There was chatter that the Mac -with their classic lineup now sans Christine- would do one more tour, then call it quits. Yes, the tour will happen -with Lindsey in tow- in Christine’s memory. Sort of a bittersweet ending for sure.

Huge loss.

OLD BLUE EYES IS BACK — (via Broadway Briefing) “A new musical about the life and career of singer Frank Sinatra is currently in the works. The project is being developed by Universal Music Group in association with Tina Sinatra (Frank Sinatra’s daughter) and Frank Sinatra Enterprises. Titled “Sinatra The Musical,” the show is being written by Joe DiPietro, with Kathleen Marshall directing and choreographing …

Michele Anthony, Bruce Resnikoff and Scott Landis will serve as producers for Universal Music Group Theatrical, with Tina Sinatra and Charles Pignone producing on behalf of Frank Sinatra

Enterprises.” https://bway.ly/d3xmm9

I was never a huge fan of Old Blue Eyes; sure, his appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson were legendary and actually quite funny, but his voice never really moved me. But his huge legend certainly did.

This was bound to happen and as with the Neil Diamond Beautiful Noise presentation opening this weekend and the Pat Benatar/Neil Geraldo Invincible in the wings, I predict we’ll see more and more of them. A jukebox musical on The Monkees has been bandied about for years, but the complex music-rights always proved to be a major stepping stone. Still, as The  Monkees celebrates 50+ years and Micky Dolenz is the surviving member, the time has certainly come.

SHORT TAKES — According to reports, Sunday’s White Lotus episode 5 (which we loved to death!) jumped up 55% which is virtually unheard of these days in TV-land. Congrats to them all. Can’t wait for the penultimate episode this Sunday … Huge cuts coming from CNN as Zaz The Butcher strikes again. Sad …

Great article from Ron Haynes on Micky Dolenz’s upcoming appearance at Beatles On The Beach in Delray Beach, Florida.

Check it out here: https://thecoastalstar.com/profiles/blogs/delray-beach-the-last-of-the-pre-fab-four…

Have you watched TV’s Tulsa? I have not, but the majority of the reviews have not be kind. It’s Sylvester Stallone’s first-foray into streaming TV. Taylor Sheridan, he of Yellowstone fame, wrote it with Terry Winter of Sopranos fame. I’ve seen literally dozens of trailers for it and posters, but have not watched the show. It was just announced it has been renewed for a second season. I’m sure that was part of Stallone’s deal. I’ll have to catch it. How bad can it be? … NBC’s Today Show stalwarts Al Roker and Savannah Guthrie sidelined. Al with a blood clot; Savannah with the flu. Dare we call it the NBC flu? …  (per Deadline) The Roku Channel has now become the exclusive AVOD streaming home for The Jennifer Hudson Show. All previously aired episodes are available and new episodes will hit the platform the day after they air. “The authentic spirit that Jennifer Hudson brings to each episode of the series has already won over the hearts of audiences across the country, and we look forward to extending its viewership potential further to the millions of streamers reached by The Roku Channel,” said Rob Holmes, VP, Programming, Roku. Warner Bros.’ freshman The Jennifer Hudson Show got off to a respectable start this fall and is currently looking good to be renewed for Season 2 by its core station group, the Fox Stations. The Jennifer Hudson Show isn’t the first talk show Roku. Earlier this fall, the streamer became the exclusive home of The Rich Eisen Show as part of its sports “experience” rollout to create a centralized hub for sports programming. The Jennifer Hudson Show features celebrity interviews, topical stories, community heroes, viral sensations, and music. It is produced in Los Angeles by Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Telepictures and distributed in national syndication by Warner Bros. Domestic TV Distribution. Roku had 65.4 million active accounts as of September 30, and the company estimates that it reaches about 80 million people, making it one of the primary gatekeepers of streaming in the U.S. In addition to its connected devices, Roku’s interface is on more than one-third of smart-TVs in North America … Brutal review of Will Smith’s new Emancipationcalling it an immaculate misfire in IndireWire. Check it out here: https://www.indiewire.com/2022/12/emancipation-review-will-smith-1234786471/

Just watched the PBS 50th Anniversary of The Doobie Brothers taped at NYC’s Radio City Music Hall and it was fantastic with Michael McDoanld reuniting with the group after a 25-year absence. A great presentation. Check out this article from Ultimate Classic Rock: https://ultimateclassicrock.com/doobie-brothers-michael-mcdonald-reunion/ …  Happy Bday to Bill Nieves!

NAMES IN THE NEWS — Angela Tarantino; Michael Fuchs; Tom & Lisa Cuddy; Steve Leeds; Mickey Shapiro; Norby Walters; Neil Bogart; Terry Jastrow; Stella Seine; Lush Ice; Tony King; Peter Bennett; Don Rickles; Carol Miller; Jim Kerr; Donna Quinter; Kathy Shapiro; Stanley Tucci; Keith Girard; Mo Ostin; David Geffen; and CHIP!