THE DUCKS LINE UP: Adele’s album in progress is being mixed at a legendary Hollywood studio, and those who have been permitted to hear it say it’s as brilliant as hoped. It has yet to be determined which of the 20 songs still in play will make the final cut, or whether the album will make it this year; it’s hoped that it will get a pre-Thanksgiving release. Can Adele do 1m in her first week, given the fact that she won’t tirelessly promote it in the Taylor Swift manner?
The Hot 100 Fest, set for the weekend of 8/22-23, is already being referred to as “The Nightmare at Jones Beach.” Among the reasons most expect the event to be an unmitigated disaster are (1) the bible overpaid by 50 % to get the talent; (2) ticket sales are terrible, with attempts at papering now underway; (3) the BB brain trust decided to go ahead with the fest knowing they’d lose nearly $2m even at 90% of capacity, ignoring the promoters and agents who warned that mounting the fest was a bad idea at this place and time; (4) the show and talent lineup were announced too late, leaving a perilously small window for on the on-sale during a crowded summer season; and (5) for all of the above reasons, it’s shaping up as a really bad look for the show’s headliners. And John Amato is taking the heat.
