October 31, 2022 - Music Observer

Valerie Bertinelli Posts TikTok in Response to Matthew Perry’s Make Out Remarks

Music Observer Staff on October 31, 2022

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Can Valerie Bertinelli be more mortified?

The award-winning star appeared to react to Matthew Perry’s statements that they made out in the 1990s. Meanwhile, Bertinelli’s then-husband, the late Eddie Van Halen, passed out just a few feet away.

Bertinelli posted a video with background music of Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” on TikTok. A track from the pop star’s latest album, Midnights, with the lyrics, “It’s me, hi. I’m the problem; it’s me.”

“Anyone misbehave in their 20s and early 30s?” Bertinelli captioned the video. “Are you mortified?”

In his next memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry revealed that he hid his unrequited love for Bertinelli when the two starred in a short-lived 1990 sitcom Sydney.

It chronicled Bertinelli’s journey as a single woman trying to capitalize as a private detective in Los Angeles. Perry played Bertinelli’s younger brother a few years before his breakthrough role in Friends.

“I fell madly in love with Valerie Bertinelli, who was clearly in a troubled marriage,” Perry said.

“My crush was crushing. Not only was she out of my league, but she was also married to one of the most famous rock stars on the planet, Eddie Van Halen.”

Intense Feeling

Furthermore, Perry wrote that his feelings for Bertinelli were so strong that he imagined the actress breaking up with Van Halen.

While he was at Bertinelli and Van Halen’s house one night, Perry said he jumped at the opportunity with his co-actor.

“As the night progressed, it was clear that Eddie had enjoyed the fruits of the vine a little too hard, one more time. And eventually, he just passed out, not ten feet away from us, but still,” he said.

“This was my chance! If you think I didn’t actually have a chance in hell, you’d be wrong, dear reader. Valerie and I had a long, elaborate makeout session.”

After what happened, Bertinelli “made no mention” of what had been and acted “like this was just a normal day,” Perry said.

“I quickly got the hint and also played the role I was supposed to, but inside I was devastated.”

He underwent nights of crying as a consequence. He only felt relieved when the show was eventually called off, “and didn’t have to see Valerie anymore,” Perry recalled.

Child Star Bertinelli

Bertinelli and Van Halen tied the knot in 1981 and ultimately divorced in 2007. The rock musician faced his demise in 2020 from cancer. He was 65. The couple had a son together, musician Wolfgang Van Halen, now 31.

The actress is widely known for her performance in television acting and presenting. She has bagged several trophies. It includes two Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and multiple nominations for a Screen Actors Guild Award.

Furthermore, she earned a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Notably, Bertinelli first came to stardom as a child actress playing Barbara Cooper Royer on One Day at a Time (1975-1984). She snagged two Golden Globe Awards for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film for the role.

As an adult star, she gained traction in the drama series Touched by an Angel (2001-2003).

‘Black Adam’ Opens on the Top Spot at the Box Office

Music Observer Staff on October 31, 2022

Dwayne Johnson has prepared decades to bring Black Adam to the big screen. And he got a big box office opening.

The DC superhero movie was released at number 1 at the national and global box office. According to Comscore, last weekend the film earned a whopping $67 million across North America and $140 million worldwide.

It’s also Johnson’s biggest box office weekend of his entire career as a leading actor. But it also received poor critical reviews.

Viewers enjoyed the actor’s transition into an antihero.

Apart from Johnson, Black Adam stars Aldis Hodge, Pierce Brosnan, Noah Centineo and Quintessa Swindell.

The film follows the journey of Johnson’s character as he gains superpowers after the death of his son. However, he wakes up thousands of centuries later in the modern world after his captivity.

“It’s always cliché to say that someone was born to play a role. But in this case, it’s true,” said filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra about Johnson in an interview with EW.

“The movie happened because of him. He’s the energy and the push that got this movie made. Even if it took him a long time to fulfill this dream of his, I think that it’s been worth the wait.”

On the Big Screen

Another interesting film is the return of the queen of romantic comedies Julia Robert to the romantic comedy screen. She teamed up with Ocean’s Eleven co-actor George Clooney for Ticket to Paradise.

The film debuted in the top 2 spots at the domestic and worldwide box office. Plus, it earned $16.3 million throughout North America and a sum of $96.6 million on the global screen.

Ticket to Paradise follows estranged ex-spouses who work together to get their daughter to call off her marriage to a seaweed farmer.

Meanwhile, Smile sits tight in third place at the domestic box office, gaining an extra $8.3 million. The previous week’s No. 1 Halloween Kills is next at No. 4. It earned an extra $8 million, bringing its total to $54.1 million.

Furthermore, the musical Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile rounded out the top five with an additional $4.2 million, bringing the total to $28.7 million.

Box Office Johnson

In recent times, Johnson has also been a box office success for the public too. Many have urged him to run for the presidency.

However, he politely declined as he wanted to focus on his daughters “during these critical years in their life.

“I will say this ‘cause it requires the B side to this. I love our country and everyone in it. And I also love being a daddy. And that’s the most important thing to me, is being a daddy, number one. Especially during this time, this critical time in my daughters’ lives.”

He added: “I know what it was like to be on the road and be so busy that I was absent for a lot of years when my first daughter’s growing up in this critical age at this critical time in her life. And that’s what the presidency will do.

He noted that he is a “patriot to my core,” but his number one priority is “my daughters.”

Photo: Wallpaper Cave

Danielle Deadwyler Talks About Living Up to the Mamie Till-Mobley Character on ‘Till’

Music Observer Staff on October 31, 2022

Danielle Deadwyler, 40, has been familiar with the Mamie Till-Mobley story almost all her life.

The actress — a self-professed ‘child from Atlante’ — tells of her first encounter with Till Mobley in elementary school. Till-Mobley embarked on a mission for justice following the murder of her 14-year-old son, Emmett, in 1995.

But that early knowledge didn’t prepare Deadwyler for the emotions she felt upon first reading Till’s script, written by writer-director Chinonye Chukwu.

“I saw the script come in over email. And I was like, ‘Oh, God. I can’t process this right now,” Deadwyler said in an interview with EW ahead of Till’s premiere in Los Angeles last October.

“It was a little bit of fear. It was a little bit of anxiety and nervousness about going there in general, right? And so, I had to slow-step into taking all of it in.”

Deadwyler is best known for her debut appearance on HBO’s Station Eleven, which received critical acclaim.

She said she put the self-tape audition aside for a few weeks. Finally, after three or four readings, she landed the role of Mamie.

“I’m a child of certain civil-rights legacy institutions in Atlanta,” said Deadwyler. She reminisced about her time as a Southern Christian Leadership Conference volunteer with Martin Luther King Jr. as director.

“I didn’t know it at the time, but it’s kind of energy and spirit working over [the film]. That’s what got me into it. I came into it with a personal legacy.”

See Joy in Silverlinings

Early in production, filmmaker Chukwu and executive producer Whoopi Goldberg decided to focus on joy: Something that can be missing in the wake of a tragedy.

“There is joy in doing a certain kind of work in bringing an awareness to folks,” Deadwyler noted. “The responsibility is in telling the story tight, and in sharing the story appropriately. She was pissed. There’s a loss that is not ever returning. That is a visceral experience.”

Deadwyler also talked about the significance of filming and other things it involves.

“I don’t get to relinquish those feelings, because I’m a Black mother in America with a Black child,” she said. “This is something that persists. It was happening before I even got the movie, happening during the movie, happening after the movie.

“So, sharing this experience – dialoguing with folks about the whys, the hows, the whens, and the wheres – is just as significant as making the film. You want to get all of it right.”

Hardwork to Portray Till-Mobley

All that they did lead to the fire behind Deadwyler’s eyes as you witnessed her turn from a grieving mother to an activist. But she confessed that her track to the character was not easy at first.

“I did immediately go to the mourning because that’s all we know, right?” she recounts.

“We know this very black-and-white binary understanding of her experience. We know that she made a significant choice that was the catalyst for the civil rights movement. And we saw the image of his body; we saw the various images of her in deep mourning.

“But you don’t necessarily see all of the triumphant awareness and the brilliance – and, specifically, the power that she began to stand in.”

“This story focuses on Mamie’s POV. And we have to understand that even at the nadir of your life, in the darkest moment, you have will. You have the possibility to come out of that darkness and becomes something greater, to do something greater. There is power even there, in the darkness.”

Till is currently available in theaters.

Photo: EW

‘House of the Dragon’ is About to Witness the Dance of the Dragons as Rhaenys Barge In

Music Observer Staff on October 31, 2022

It begins – the Dance of the Dragons, I mean. If Rhaenys Targaryen shows the whole of Westeros that she is a true power player, what will happen?

House of the Dragon Episode 9, the final episode of Season 1, begins in the morning twilight after King Viserys (Paddy Considine) dies in his sleep.

Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans) and his Small Council colleagues don’t waste a second to begin their long-standing plans to place Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) on the Iron Throne. But at the same time, Queen Alicent (Olivia Cooke) is pushed to act alone.

In the final scene, a lavish coronation takes place in the sept of the Dragonpit. Aegon, donning the Conqueror’s crown, thrust his father’s Valyrian Blackfyre steel blade into the air before the people of King’s Landing as the new ruler of the realms.

However, an explosion followed. A wave of dust and rocks rises from the ground beneath the Dragonpit, spilling death on those who remain in its tracks. It’s “the beast beneath the boards” – a phrase that Alicent’s daughter Helaena (Phia Saban) has talked about since episode 8.

As the dark cloud clears, Meleys, the dragon known as the Red Queen, emerges with the famous crown spikes on her neck. Her knight, Rhaenys (Eve Best), wears red and silver armor on her back.

Ryan Condal, co-creator and co-producer of the series, has been careful to hide the armor from the crowd up to this point.

Her Entrance

“We wanted her to be rising like a phoenix from the ashes,” filmmaker Clare Kilner told EW.

“She’s packed it,” Best says of Rhaeney’s battle gear.

“She’s traveled to King’s Landing with it because it’s part of her dragon-riding equipment. Also, probably in that moment of knowledge in episode 8, she’s flying into tricky waters… She hasn’t worn it for a very, very, very long time, and the fact that she’s wearing it means business. It’s like, ‘This is it. No more games.’”

Rhaenys’ move during Aegon’s coronation is something that George R.R. Martin did not write about in the source document, Targaryen’s Fire and Blood historical record.

But it is not difficult to see a royal family move to erase the official record of some disgrace from the history books. Additionally, Rhaenys has the influence and ability to end the possible civil war over the succession before it even begins.

Best Talks About Rhaenys Entrance

Meanwhile, Alicent readies herself as Meleys looks down on her. However, rather than lighting them all in dragon fire, the creature releases a fierce cry. Rhaenys and her allies then appear through the Dragon pit doors and fly to Dragonstone to tell Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy), Viserys’ chosen heir, that her throne has been taken over.

“It’s the pinnacle,” Best explains in this scene.

“It’s the moment when she shows herself to be the greatest possible ruler. It was the most outrageous and explosive action of the season. In a way, it’s also the most merciful and most graceful act.”

She adds: “It’s because she’s so intelligent and, in the end, chooses to do the right thing, which is not to destroy. It’s a truly forgiving moment and sort of a loving moment, in a weird way. She has all the ammunition, and the desire for revenge is so great.

“She’s suffered so much loss, and for her own sake and on behalf of so many others, the urge to destroy is so strong. And yet the choice not to destroy becomes even stronger. That’s the mark of greatness and [a] truly inspiring moment – I think actually one that is particularly resonate in this context of what we’re going through right now in our world with everything that’s going on with Russia. The choice not to drop the bombs is the greater choice.”

Photo: EW

‘Will & Grace’ Stars Remember Leslie Jordan on Social Media

Music Observer Staff on October 31, 2022

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Leslie Jordan faced death on Monday after experiencing a medical emergency while driving.In the end, he drove his BMW into a building’s side. He was 67.

Jordan played socialite Beverly Leslie for nearly 20 years and 17 episodes. The character is the nemesis of Megan Mullally’s legendary vulgar Karen Walker.

The role snagged Jordan an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.

Now the cast of Will & Grace have started taking to social media to honor the deceased actor as he was an unforgettable part of the production.

“Crushed to learn about the loss of @thelesliejordan, the funniest & flirtiest southern gent I’ve ever known,” Eric McCormack said. The actor played the protagonist Will Truman.

“The joy and laughter he brought to every one of his #WillandGrace episodes was palpable. Gone about thirty years too soon. You were loved, sweet man.”

Additionally, Sean Hayes (Jack MacFarland on Will & Grace) said: “My heart is broken.

“Leslie Jordan was one of the funniest people I ever had the pleasure of working with. Everyone who ever met him loved him. There will never be anyone like him. A unique talent with an enormous, caring heart. You will be missed, my dear friend.”

Jordan: ‘Flawlessly Funny’

Meanwhile, Mullally considered her friendship with Jordan thoughtfully. Last month, she just spotted the actor at an event for his book How Y’all Doing in D.C.

“My heart is breaking,” she said on Instagram.

“I really can’t believe it. Leslie Jordan was, hands down, one of the greats. People use that expression a lot, and I’m not sure it’s always applicable. There aren’t that many people who are truly great at anything.

“But Leslie was flawlessly funny, a virtuoso of comedy. His timing, [and] his delivery, [were] all apparently effortless. You can’t get any better than that.”

Furthermore, Mullally referred to Jordan as “a friendly, fun-loving, dear person.” She also stressed that “it meant so much to him” that he shared multiple stories on Instagram.

“He was absolutely unique. One of a kind. Thank you all of his fans! He really loved you all and was so genuinely appreciative of you,” Mullally added.

Funny Little Man

Jordan gained traction on TV in the 1990s, playing roles in sitcoms like Hearts Afire and Murphy Brown.

Recently, the pint-sized actor ballooned his fame. He appeared in American Horror Story and boasted over 5.8 million Instagram followers. On the platform, he shared hilarious stories in his signature Southern accent.

However, on Monday afternoon, a heartbreaking statement shocked his followers.

Furthermore, his manager shared with The Post: “The world is definitely a much darker place today without the love and light of Leslie Jordan. Not only was he a mega talent and joy to work with, but he provided an emotional sanctuary to the nation at one of its most difficult times.”

“What he lacked in height he made up for in generosity and greatness: as a son, brother, artist, comedian, partner and human being,” his manager continued. “Knowing that he has left the world at the height of both his professional and personal life is only solace one can have today.”

Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne Thoroughly Learned Nursing Ahead of ‘The Good Nurse’ Filming

Music Observer Staff on October 31, 2022

In a matter of life and death, Eddie Redmayne is not your man for CPR.

Although he had to go to nursing school to prepare for the role of caregiver on The Good Nurse, he has not mastered the CPR skill. At least not like her co-star Jessica Chastain did.

“We spent about two weeks in the classroom. And there’s no way of bonding with someone better than being reduced to being back in the classroom,” Redmayne said in an interview with EW.

“I was always useless at biology. And Jessica had a mind that was incredibly capable. I would do these exercises with these dummies that they use to practice CPR. And it would transpire that no one would have survived under my watch.”

He added: “But Jess was quite brilliant. She would turn up to nurse school early, get busy putting those IV lines into these dummies, and it took me a lot more practice. She had more of a natural instinct for it.”

The Good Nurse Inspiration

Inspired by Charles Graeber’s book The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder, The Good Nurse depicts a nurse who is also a single mother serving the night shift.

She faced life-threatening heart disease and a serial killer she caught. Already bound by her physical and mental abilities for her job, she later formulates her suspicions about her new colleague Charlie (Redmayne).

Suspicions escalated after a string of patient deaths led to an investigation. Eventually, Amy risks her life and the safety of her children to reveal the truth about Charlie. She discovers the reasons why he got away with it.

Way before Redmayne’s recruitment, Chastain was already on the list of The Good Nurse cast. However, after Redmayne got Charlie, they instantly discussed how thrilled they were to work with each other.

“It was a long journey to get it made. It was probably three years or four years from when we first spoke to when we were on set together,” Chastain revealed to EW.

“And Eddie and I talked about how hospitals are filled with incredible human beings, the surgeons and doctors, [and] nurses and paramedics, and technicians. Everyone who works there.

“I believe they are there because you have to have a calling. So, Eddie and I went to nurse school and learned all about it. We really got to work from the roots up in terms of learning how to be nurses, and that really helped bond us.”

Everything Worked So Well

Ahead of letting the two get close to any kind of IV needle, they had to initially learn the history of nursing.

“On day one, we had this incredible nurse named Joe who told us all about the history. It really was nursing school,” Chastain said.

The actress giggled as she revealed how the training was very thorough she imagined handing medical advice to people.

Later, when it was time to execute their newfound knowledge and skills, both actors found their classroom sitting paid off. The two brought Amy and Charlie’s chilling story to life.

Photo: Vampire Squid

Charlie Puth Claims Record Label by Ellen DeGeneres Vanished Following Signing Him

Music Observer Staff on October 31, 2022

Charlie Puth is claiming the people who were part of Ellen DeGeneres’ record label that contracted him in 2011 disappeared.

In an appearance on a recent episode of Rolling Stone Music Now, the singer-songwriter shared that following his entering the eleveneleven record label, managed by the former talk show host, he witnessed the team that handled the recording of his first EP vanishes.

“Not putting any blame on one person, but from a collective… all the people that were in that room, they just disappeared,” Puth said in the interview with Rolling Stone. “I didn’t hear from anybody.”

The singer gained traction online following his opening a YouTube channel in 2009. After his famously-seen cover of ”Someone Like You” by Adele, he and his song collaborator Emily Luther inked a contract with DeGeneres’ label.

Eleveneleven started in 2010 with Mile Hamlin, a talk show presenter, ahead of closing in 2012.

While he has not had a convenient experience with the now shutdown company, Puth still talks about DeGeneres in a place of positivity, saying rumors of her bad attitude at work is not true for him.

“People describe Ellen as rude,” he stated. “I’ve never experienced that. Maybe she likes me.”

Furthermore, the musician doesn’t hold grudges about his early tracks not being released in public because he was still developing as an artist.

“I don’t know how good they are,” he revealed.

After he dropped his third album, Charlie, the 30-year-old revealed to EW a month ago that it was easy to work with his new label, Atlantic.

“I have the support from a record label now, too,” he stated.

“When I signed with Atlantic, their primary goal was for me to just deliver a full body of work for them, which, previously, was not the case. Before, it was all just about pumping out singles, and nobody really cared about me – they just cared about the song on the radio.”

Puth versus Chance

Puth’s statements came following singer Greyson Chance’s revelation on his encounter with eleveneleven, in which he alleged DeGeneres of being “degrading” and “manipulative.”

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Chance said he had “never met someone more manipulative, more self-centered and more blatantly opportunistic than her,” alleging she was “domineering and way too controlling” about the decisions such as his clothing styles.

“She would come in and look at a rack, yell at stylists, berate people in front of me and say, ‘This is what you’re wearing on the show,’” said Chance. “She was just degrading to people.”

Puth revealed in his latest sit-down that although he has not encountered a problematic experience, he does think the label was not managed well.

“We both have different experiences, me versus Greyson. But I do agree with him that no one was present, certainly, after the creation of my first demo EP,” he stated.

When asked for comment, DeGeneres’ representatives did not instantly reply to some media outlets.

Puth is currently making a massive following in the new: TikTok. His most viral videos include some showing himself playing the piano and making impromptu tunes and short songs.

Photo: Stereogum

Carly Simon Grieves for the Loss of Her Two Sisters a Day Apart

Music Observer Staff on October 31, 2022

Carly Simon is currently grieving the loss of her two sisters, Joanna and Lucy Simon. This week, the two were taken by cancer merely one day apart from one another.

On Wednesday, at the age of 85, Joanna – a former opera singer – faced demise from thyroid cancer. Meanwhile, Lucy – a Broadway composer – faced death from breast cancer the day after at 82.

According to Carly in a statement sent to EW, the losses will be “long and haunting.”

“I am filled with sorrow to speak about the passing of Joanna and Lucy Simon,” she said. “Their loss will be long and haunting. As sad as this day is, it’s impossible to mourn them without celebrating their incredible lives that they lived.”

The singer added: “We were three sisters who not only took turns blazing trails and marking courses for one another, we were each other’s secret shares.

“The co-keepers of each other’s memories. I have no words to explain the feeling of suddenly being the only remaining direct offspring of Richard and Andrea Simon.”

Carly ended her statement by saying that Joanna and Lucy “touched everyone they knew. And those of us they’ve left behind will be lucky and honored to carry their memories forward.”

The three sisters were born to Richard Simon – publisher and co-founder of Simon & Schuster – and Andrea. They also had a younger brother, who died in 2018 at 71.

The Simon Success

All three Simon sisters were bound to find success in the music industry.

Carly and Lucy initially joined showbiz in the 1960s ahead of going their separate ways. During that time, they formed the folk duo The Simon Sisters. Furthermore, they released three albums and compilation records such as Wikin’, Blinkin’ and Nod.

Afterward, Lucy went to attend nursing school and started a family. But she returned to music in the 1970s. She then produced two award-winning children’s albums with her husband, David Levine: In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record and In Harmony 2. They earned a Grammy for it.

Furthermore, she gained acclamation on Broadway. There, she wrote music for the Tony-nominated The Secret Garden and Doctor Zhivago.

Joanna echoed her name in the industry as well, starting in the 1960s. She debuted in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro in New York. Later, the acclaimed mezzo-soprano became a staple on the opera stage.

All her career, she played with several orchestras like the New York Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic. After her retirement, Joanna still excelled. She became an arts correspondent for PBS’ MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour, earning an Emmy.

Carly Time

Carly Simon’s series of hit records are commendable.

Her Top 40 US hits are: “Anticipation” (No. 13); “The Right Thing to Do” (No. 17); “Haven’t Got Time for the Pain” (No. 14); “You Belong to Me” (No. 6); and “Coming Around Again” (No. 18)

Meanwhile, her Gold-certified singles include “You’re So Vain” (No. 1); “Mockingbird” (No. 5); “Nobody Does It Better” (No. 2) from The Spy Who Loved Me, a James Bond movie; and “Jesse (No. 11).

Furthermore, she has written five children’s books and two memoirs.

Photo: Daily Pop Star