I enjoy Bill Maher and am a fan of Real Time.  I particularly like his “New Rules”, but had a curious reaction to a recent installment where he complained about people in the music industry having invoking both violent and materialistic imagery.  While I agreed with him, I found the timing of this rant curious because earlier in the same program, his guest was Killer Mike.  I am not familiar with The Killer’s oeuvre, but the timing was…well, curious.  That Mike was charged with misdemeanor battery after winning three Grammys only added to my…curiosity.

The big story at the Grammys was the appearance of Celine Dion – who has been routinely reported to be close to death.  I’m not saying she’s the picture of health, but I thought she looked fine – certainly by Celine standards.  Sure, she bore a striking resemblance to Madame Khrushchev when she appeared onstage in her coat, but maybe she was cold!  That was always the excuse Nikita’s wife used.  Meanwhile, everyone made much of Taylor Swift’s apparent disregard for the legend.  Now, I am no Swift apologist.  I think there’s a dark side to the pop star that most people haven’t seen – well, I bet John Mayer and at least two of the three Jonas Brothers have seen it.  Anyway, I hear that people at the Grammys were told to not get too close to Celine.  Of course, that doesn’t explain why Swift didn’t even glance at her onstage, but at least they took a photo backstage.

Every time she thinks she’s out, they pull her back in.  I suspect this is how Belinda Carlisle feels about The Go-Go’s.  Despite frequently stating the band will never perform together again, they always do.  In her defense, it usually takes a really good cause – like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, or helping one of the other members pay an overdue electric bill.  This time, it was to be inducted into the California Hall of Fame, which I actually had no idea even existed.  Not only did all five ladies fly in for the event, they even performed.  While the performance portion was not telecast, you can see some of their acoustic set on BillyMasters.com.

During the pandemic, Dolly Parton considered abandoning plans for a stage musical about her life in favor of a biopic.  But here she comes again.  “Nah, everybody’s doing a biopic!  I’m going back to Broadway now that it’s open.”  As to who could play her (it should be noted that she approved of the casting of Megan Hilty in the stage version of 9 to 5), she thinks it’ll take more than one person to fill her ample…shoes.  And she’s taking some inspiration from The Cher Show – maybe she’ll have a “little Dolly”, an “earlier years Dolly” and an “older Dolly”.  She’s also open to discovering new talent.  “They may never have been on stage before, or maybe in some local theater somewhere.  But we’re going to look for them and that’s going to be part of the fun, I think.”

Speaking of country legends, I’m sure you all saw Reba McEntire sing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl – and how clever of her to avoid high notes and sing it in Barry White’s key!  But that’s just the beginning.  She’s planning a return to sitcom life and has interest from NBC (where she already appears on The Voice).  The show, still in development, will find Reba inheriting her father’s restaurant, which she’ll co-own with the half sister she never knew she had (I can almost hear Melissa Peterman warming up now).  To make Reba feel even more comfortable, it will be executive produced by Kevin Abbott, Michael Hanel and Mindy Schultheis – who were all executive producers on The CW’s Reba series.  You throw in the fantastic Christopher Case (also an executive producer on the show), and you might have a winning combination.  NBC has ordered a pilot – the first official pilot order for next season.