Celebrity
The Glorious Corner
G.H. Harding
NORBY MY NORBY — My memory is that I first met super-agent Norby Walters in the back of limousine sometime in the early-80’s. He was the booking agent (Norby Walters Associates) of the day (with a sizable industry-background) and not only commanded most of the top acts back then, but also a smattering of up-and-comers. Norby was great and rattled off the do-s-and-don’t-s of the day in rapid fashion. I was working for a PR-firm at the time which repped a major record company of the day and was instantly captivated by this man. Clearly much older than I, he seemed to have twice the energy I had.
Norby Walters
We’d literally go from one club to another catching act after act. Norby was obviously well versed and seemed to have a story about everyone. For a newbie like me, he was like sugar-on-a-stick.
He then partnered with a suspicious looking-fellow named Lloyd Bloom who carried him into the sports world. My understating was that the pair would attempt to sign sports players too early on in their career and that led to a campaign by NYC state to not only stop them, but to take them to court. The court case happened and they were found guilty, but the case was overturned. Norby left Bloom and headed for the sunnier skies of LA.
There he set up his vastly successful Night Of 100 Stars–Oscar’s event and of course, his weekly poker games. The events were grand, ut all too often the main stars of the night were the top B stars; like Red Buttons; Gary Busey; and Martin Landau. Face it, if you were a real one, you went to the Oscars-event itself. Still, it was a great event.
I never saw Norby again after NYC but was saddened to hear he passed. Deadline (https://deadline.com/2023/12/norby-walters-dead-night-of-100-stars-oscar-party-1235678218/) carried a great story on him, but oddly omitted any mention of the Bloom-imbroglio Hollywood Reporter (Norby Walters Dead: Agent, Night of 100 Stars Host Was 91 – The Hollywood Reporter) had a much more accurate one. RIP Norby … it was all so much fun!
Jon Pardi
JON PARDI’S A LONG DECEMBER — One of my all-time favorite tracks (in my Top 5) is “A Long December” from The Counting Crows. When that came out in 1996, I immediately adored it. The music was great, but Adam Duritz’s lyrics were positively awesome.
Adam Duritz
Imagine my surprised when I flipped on the Today Show and watched as country-artist Jon Pardi -and his 9-piece band perform it … and off his Xmas album no less. Truth be told, I never considered it a Xmas song, but it does have December in the title. Pardi was great, if a bit stiff, but his performance featured a fiddle solo in the middle – 2 fiddles in fact – and it was great, I’m not a huge C&W fan, but great choice Jon.
SHORT TAKES — Aquaman 2, the latest from David Zaslav’s Warner Brothers/Discovery, came out last week and actually did pretty well, though the reviews were abysmal. And none more-so that the one from Den of Geek. Check it out here. Be warned: This is not a good review: https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/aquaman-2-buries-dceu-at-sea/?utm_source=Den+Of+Geek+US&utm_campaign=3f6f090d44-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_12_26_09_31&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-3f6f090d44-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D
Bernie Taupin and Elton John
…Yes, the Dave Mason book is late by a year, but Bernie Taupin’s book Scattershot sort of disappeared with nary a trace (it came out in September 2023) and I wondered why. Check out this passage from the Washington Post’s Allison Stewart on it: Curiously, “Me,” John’s 2019 corker of an autobiography, has little mention of Taupin. It’s baffling to witness two men so integral to one another’s lives and careers speak of each other with the affection usually reserved for distant relatives. Do they have some kind of mutual nonaggression treaty? Are they just sick of talking about each other? Is Taupin afraid of saying the wrong thing and making Elton mad? Because Elton seems like the kind of person who would get mad. (Probably not, since Taupin dares to call John “chunky.” On Page 2! … RIP Bobby Rivers who started on VH1 back in the day. Definitely one of the good guys. From People: https://people.com/bobby-rivers-tv-host-film-critic-dies-at-70-8420529?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=social-share-article&fbclid=IwAR359RyWJO0Pix7aISab2hxHUcJG9iQ8qEWYgZXU14WjfMs4Vav51XApTVg
Tom Smothers
… Much, much more on Tom Smothers next time. A game changer for sure … and Happy Bday Monica Lynch … we’re back after New Years!
NAMES IN THE NEWS — David Crow; Benny Harrison; Harrison Jordan; Mark Bego; Richard Johnson; Richard Supa; Aerosmith; David Geffen; Robbie Robertson; Steve Martin; Dan Zelinski; Michael Jensen; Michael Greenblatt; Markos Papadatos; Lee Jeske; Randy Alexander; Carol Ross; Howard Bloom; and SADIE!
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
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
Timeless: A Tribute to Bernadette Peters
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
Timeless: A Tribute to Bernadette Peters
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