HOLLYWOOD—10….9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…Happy New Year 2014! We have come to that time of year when we ask ourselves “What will 2014 bring?” It’s that time of year that we make the same resolutions once again: lose weight, go to the gym more often, quit smoking, getting organized, spend more time with family and friends. In the spirit of the New Year, these resolutions are made in good faith, however, only a handful of us will actually succeed. All those promises we make on the stroke of midnight will soon be a fleeting memory in a few weeks. As we reflect on the past year, we look back on so many tragedies and trends; the death of Paul Walker, the shooting of Dustin Friedland in the Short Hills mall carjacking, the death of President Nelson Mandela, Miley Cyrus twerking, iPad Air, PS4, etc.
We look back on some of the most talked about albums of the year. Despite the slump in the music industry, some of the most innovative artists of the last decade — Kanye West, Daft Punk, Vampire Weekend, Justin Timberlake and Arcade Fire came out with surprising albums. The return of old-school titan Eminem and Pusha T along with Chance the Rapper, Earl Sweatshirt, J. Cole and Danny Brown was astonishing.
Eminem is in such popular demand that he turned down a $1 million offer to perform at the NFL owners party. He counter offered for $2 million, and they declined. Both Eminem and Kanye West both declined. According to TMZ, Eminem requested $2 million for the performance at the event. Kanye West agreed to do the performance, however, he had higher demands over $1 million, plus other requests. The NFL owners [arty which is held every year prior to the Super Bowl, turned both superstars and called on Janelle Monae who requested only $150,00 for her performance.
What a year for TV-so many exciting moments from the Red Wedding to “Red Light Special,” these were just some of the greatest moments of TV. Colorizing “I Love Lucy,” which aired on CBS from 1951-57, and whose black-and-white classic-be it a movie or TV show, brings up our curiosity factor. The show considered by some to be the greatest sitcom in TV’s 65-year history was transformed to color last week. Lucille Ball who played Lucy Ricardo, married to Cuban band leader Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz) dreamed of a career in show biz. Vivian Vance and William Farley played the Ricardo’s landlords and best friends, the mismatched Ethel and Fred Mertz, were often caught up in Luc’s crazy escapades. CBS decided to air “Christmas Episode,” and “Lucy’s Italian Movie,” which fans remember her stomping grapes inItaly. While some TV historians would disagree to attempt to colorize a classic; it worked! CBS really shook things up and gave the show a fresh look on how comedy should be. They gave the fans the gift of laughter all these years later.
Another 50s sitcom classic, “The Honeymooners,” will make its annual “marathon” appearance on WPIX on December 31, New Year’s Eve. It has been a Channel 11 tradition since 1976 (it moved to New Year’s Eve on 1996). This year the station will air 26 episodes starring Jackie Gleason, Art Carney, Audrey Meadows and Joyce Randolph starting 11 p.m. It will run until 4 a.m. January 1, where it will break for news, and will resume at 9 a.m. and run until 5 p.m., for a grand total of 13 hours. There is something about 1950s sitcom classics that make people laugh.
Rose’s Scoop: Rupert Murdoch, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David E. Kelley and Jay Leno will be inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame on March 11 at the Beverly Wilshire in Los Angeles.
Wishing everyone a Healthy, Happy, Safe New Year!
