“Wicked: For Good” made another $93 million at the box office last weekend.
When the original “The Wizard of Oz” was released in 1939, theater-goers were NOT off to see the Wizard. The movie lost $1.1 million during its initial run. At that time, it was MGM’s most expensive movie made.
According to the Library of Congress, it’s the most-watched picture in history.
Here’s what you get at the Sphere’s VIP Experience. Choice of Good Witch or Bad Witch. The Bad Witch costs more with two additional perks. You’d think it was the other way around, but they state, “Bad witches come with a little more magic”. Okay.
Here’s what you get: The Sphere’s website price for just one of those front section seats? $377.39. (Monkeys are literally flying out of my butt.)
Well, what if I just want a regular experience, you ask? Top row, all the way in the back, Ticketmaster has them priced at 119 bucks. Each. (And they are doing multiple shows a day.)
Which means the Sphere makes two million a day showing an old movie on a giant curved screen.
To be fair, it is a 4D experience with multi-sensory effects like shaking seats, high-velocity wind, atmospheric fog, fire effects, falling leaves, flying butterflies, and even falling fake apples and flying monkey props.
Did Vegas find a new way for people to lose their money? Or is overpaying to watch a movie classic as a 4D experience totally worth the thrill?
Obviously the ticket sales win that argument. But you can have my seat, because spoiler… it was all a dream.
Brick Taylor saw “The Wizard of Oz” for the first time as a child on his family’s black and white TV. When Dorothy opened the door to Oz, Brick’s mother said, “If we had a color set, this would all become beautiful golden colors right now.”
Even though the 50th anniversary celebration of “Saturday Night Live” aired in February, October 11th is the real anniversary of the first show back in 1975.
But some markets shouldn’t really be celebrating, because they didn’t carry the show for the first few seasons. Some, even longer!
In a handful of areas around the U.S., the “Not Ready for Prime Time Players” weren’t ready for late night either. So, Chevy Chase’s only season on the show – with his classic phone calls going into the first ever Weekend Update segments – were never seen in some big markets. 26-year-old Bill Murray’s debut season? Same.
Missed were the sketches and commercial parodies from John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Lorraine Newman, Garrett Morris and Jane Curtin – as well as special guest hosts, comedians, and musicians performing live on television. Trailblazers.
Some stations found the show too edgy, or downright unfunny
If you’ve seen the 2024 movie “Saturday Night,” you’ll recall some of the affiliates weren’t too amused, and they made sure their local viewers weren’t either. One of the stories that would eventually make those poor un-entertained souls curious about the show was when Johnny Carson commented negatively about the humor, at one point calling it mean and tasteless. (Lorne Michaels asked Carson to host for years, but he always refused.)
Viewers in spots all over the country couldn’t tune in
So let’s review some of the markets that didn’t see the need to air satirical comedy sketches, commercial parodies, and live performances from some of the most famous musical artists of the time. Here are a few that are noteworthy – according to the “L.A. Times,”as many as one-third of NBC affiliates around the U.S. didn’t air the first episode.
Not blazing the trail? Let’s begin with the NBC affiliate in Syracuse, New York. Even after receiving irate calls and letters from viewers wondering why they couldn’t see the show, WSYR kept it off the air for the first two seasons.
WNDU in South Bend, Indiana also opted not to air the show initially. But after seeing its success, they eventually relented and picked it up.
According to the “Daily Oklahoman,” KTVY-TV in Oklahoma City (now KFOR) didn’t air the first two seasons (during which ratings had doubled), but eventually decided to pick the show up in July 1978 for summer reruns.
Their program manager at the time, Bill Thrash, said, “We received constant requests to carry the show, [and] they were very angry with us because we didn’t carry it.” He continued, “I now think the show will do very well in Oklahoma City.” (Ya think so, Bill? You’re three years late to the party!)
An affiliate in Tulsa also passed for two years, but people there could apparently see another state’s feed if they had cable.
Even major markets like Detroit and Pittsburgh couldn’t watch
Oklahoma is one thing. But certainly major markets like Detroit and Pittsburgh got to see it, right? Wrong. They missed the first several seasons as well, although another station was somehow allowed to air it in Detroit on a fuzzy UHF channel. (Kids, ask grandpa what “UHF” was. You could sometimes see the people through the snow.)
One station refused to air it into the mid-2010s
Salt Lake City’s KLS-TV gets the “Modern Era Hold Out” award, not airing the show from 1995 until 2013! That was Season 39, with Tina Fey hosting the premiere. So, she’d completed her entire run on the show before the NBC affiliate allowed her to show her face in SLC.
The Mormon-owned KSL opted to stop airing “SNL” when it switched from CBS to NBC in 1995. The station manager’s explanation at the time was, “SNL’s’ content is frequently objectionable, not to mention its overall quality has been in decline for years.”
An affiliate for the WB aired “SNL” in SLC from 1998 to 2013, but it was fully unavailable for about two years in the mid-90s. Most didn’t have internet access then, and YouTube wouldn’t be born for another decade anyway.
So if you lived in the Salt Lake City area during those dark years, you were just out of luck. But at least you now know that if you ever got iced out of “SNL,” you most definitely weren’t alone.
A “TV Guide” ad for the very first show in 1975. A couple things would be different by the time it aired – namely, it could only be called “Saturday Night” because Howard Cosell already had an ABC show called “Saturday Night Live.” Also, Billy Crystal got cut for time and never appeared. He became a cast member nine years later in 1984.
Brick Taylor has been covering entertainment since the ’80s. He lived in one of the aforementioned markets and was caught in the “SNL” void. One of the first “SNL” musical artists he ever saw was David Bowie singing “TVC 15” in a dress. Sorry if you missed it, South Bend.
Did you buy concert tickets between 2019 and 2024? Are you owed money? The U.S. Federal Trade Commission announced yesterday that they, along with seven states, have accused Live Nation and Ticketmaster of costing fans millions of dollars by tacitly allowing ticket brokers to scoop concert tickets and sell them at a significant markup. The FTC alleges that Ticketmaster ignored brokers’ violations of ticket purchasing limits set by artists, allowing Ticketmaster to reap $3.7 billion in resale fees between 2019 and 2024.
Those actions along with Ticketmaster’s failure to disclose the full price of tickets, including fees, upfront violated consumer protection law, the agency said.
Ah yes, the price. Prior to many shows going on sale, it’s never advertised how much the tickets will cost.
A few years ago, I was in line to buy tickets to My Chemical Romance for their only (at that time) Los Angeles show. The moment tickets went on sale I swiftly moved my cursor to see how much they were in different sections. Upper section, near the front row. More than $200 each. I moved on to compare to deeper sections, but decided I’d go for the originals.
By the time I got back to them, they were $325 each. They’d gone up within a minute. Fearing they’d increase again, I clicked the seats and bought them. Not long afterward, a second show was “added”. Nothing was “added”. They knew and the artist knew that there’d be two shows in L.A. But the damage was done. Buyers regret.
Prior to being able to buy them, I had to wait in the “queue” instead of getting in “line”. I knew there were going to be issues when we started using British terms with redundant letters. QUE will suffice.
It wasn’t always like that. Thanks to YouTube, there’s grainy video of an ’80s TV commercial showing how much tickets cost. In writing. “$15.50 and $14.50.” Feel free to chuckle that it’s a Judas Priest concert, but they’re still touring 40 years later and tickets in the front section for their North Carolina show tomorrow night with Alice Cooper are more than 200 bucks each.
For another current concert tour, let’s look at last night’s Nine Inch Nails concert at the Kia Forum. I looked earlier in the day to find the price of an available originally priced ticket. I found Section 136, Row 5, $285. It was the only original value seat left. Everything else was resale.
Let me take you back to my experience with NIN. I saw them on May 1st, 1994 at the Mesa Centennial in Arizona.
The show was general admission. No seats, everyone stood. Ticket price for all? $17.50. That’s back when the tickets said “No Cameras or Video Recorders”. Yeah, people watched the concerts directly with their eyes, not to see if they have their phone framed correctly. And please people, shoot horizontally. The stage is horizontal. So are all screens now.
I’d never seen so much fog machine fog in my life. You could barely see the band. Seriously. The colored stage lights only accented the fog. Occasionally you’d see a figure with a guitar through the haze. Not implying that Trent Reznor filled with some pre-recorded music but who knows who was playing what. To me, it was humorous. It was like when Pink Floyd played behind the wall for a while. Realistically, they could’ve been backstage having tea.
Here’s my point. I know it isn’t the 1900’s anymore. I realize that things cost more than they did. But ticket prices have gotten so out of control, they don’t even tell you how much they cost when they go on sale.
Where’s the truth in advertising? There are venues around the country that don’t allow third-party vendors or reselling.
We are the customer, we are the fans, we are the audience that makes the shows. At the least the scalper on the street would tell you the price. If the day ever comes where we are owed money in a class action suit, let’s just hope that claiming the cash won’t be through the Ticketmaster website. Cer-ash.
By Brick Taylor
Brick has been covering entertainment since the ’80s. He once said during a lunch interview, “I’ve seen ’em come, I’ve seen a lot of ’em go. But to this day, I still feel like I didn’t see Nine Inch Nails through that haze.” Then when the check arrived he said, “You’re getting that, right?”
EDENBRIDGE, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 2: An 11-metre effigy of depicting a Ticketmaster figure holding British musicians Liam and Noel Gallagher from the band Oasis is set on fire on November 2, 2024 in Edenbridge, England. Each year the Edenbridge Bonfire Society creates a ‘Celebrity Guy’ effigy of an infamous public figure which is burnt during the annual bonfire night celebrations.In 1605, a group of persecuted Roman Catholic activists, including Guy Fawkes, attempted to blow up the Palace of Westminster and assassinate the Protestant English King James I. Around November 5th each year, people across the United Kingdom light bonfires and hold fireworks displays to mark the failure of the plot. (Photo by Jack Taylor/Getty Images)
“Miami Vice” premiered on NBC September 16, 1984. But it was 40 years ago this month that its exciting theme song by Jan Hammer was released as a single.
By that November, it would be a #1 hit on Billboard’s Hot 100 – something that’s only happened four other times. And if you can name the other four songs, wow… did you go to school for this or something?!
Three of them hit America’s eardrums in the ’70s – oddly enough, two were also instrumentals, extremely rare for #1 Top 40 songs. The other was a one-hit wonder in the early ’90s by a band that didn’t actually exist. (Hint: Don’t even try to guess that one.)
Soul Train – “TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)“
The first TV theme to top the charts was “TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia),” better known as the theme to “Soul Train.” It has a few moments where some background singers are heard, but it’s instrumental for the most part. The creator and host of “Soul Train,” Don Cornelius, refused to allow any references to the name of the show when the single was released. That’s why the artists, MFSB, adopted the alternate title. It went #1 in 1974.
S.W.A.T. – “Theme from S.W.A.T.”
The second instrumental to win the top spot on the charts was “Theme from S.W.A.T.” by Rhythm Heritage. On February 28, 1976, radio stations were playing the cop drama theme more than any other song. It featured Jeff Porcaro on drums and Ray Parker, Jr. on guitar. (Yeah, the “Ghostbusters” guy.) If you don’t think you recognize it, skip to :24.
Welcome Back, Kotter – “Welcome Back”
John Sebastian’s “Welcome Back” hit #1 in May 1976, just a few short months after “Theme from S.W.A.T.” topped the charts. (Man, people were really into theme songs in ’76!) Producers had loved the song so much, they changed the title of the whole show. It went from “Kotter” to “Welcome Back Kotter” to match the lyrics. Even though comedian Gabe Kaplan was in the title roll, John Travolta became the breakout star of the series and even he had a hit song that year – “Let Her In“ hit #10 thanks to John’s newfound fame.
Miami Vice – “Miami Vice Theme”
It had been nearly a decade since a TV theme topped the charts when Jan Hammer’s synthy ode to stylish Miami cops hit the scene in 1985, then hit #1 later that year. It was the last instrumental to hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 until “Harlem Shake“ seized the crown in 2013.
The Heights – “How Do You Talk to an Angel?”
You might know the song, but probably not the show. “The Heights” followed the exploits of a fictional band, but the show never found success. The theme song was a huge hit though, landing at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two full weeks. The show lasted only one season on Fox before it got the axe. The cancelation came less than two weeks after the show’s theme song topped the charts. Ouch.
It’s been over 30 years since a TV theme song hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and I know what you’re thinking: “What about that Friends song!?” Nope, not even “I’ll Be There for You” by The Rembrandts could do it, only rising as high at #17 in 1995. (It did hit #1 in Canada though, if you care aboot that.)
Brick Taylor has been covering music, television, and film since the ’80s. He is a modern day historian of ‘what is old is new again.’ “It’s all cyclical,” Brick said in a recent interview. “Look at ‘S.W.A.T.’, for instance. That TV show from the ’70s was made into a movie in 2003, then revamped as a TV series again in 2017. Not to name drop, but I saw Tom Cruise at an Oscars party that year and told him Hollywood’s outta fresh ideas. He nodded, then said he had to leave early to make another ‘Mission: Impossible’ sequel.” Brick then excused himself from the interview because it was an open bar.
Disneyland just hit the seven-decade mark! The grand opening on July, 17, 1955 was invite-only but also broadcast live on ABC. And boy, did viewers get an eyeful.
Walt had pulled a genius promotional move to hype the new park. He launched a show called “Disneyland“ that aired updates of the park being built weekly on ABC almost a year before it opened. So, parents and kiddies watching from home were primed for most of what they were about to see.
Host, Bob Cummings – who was married and on wife 3 of 5 at the time – apparently missed a cue, and was shown sucking face with one of the Frontierland dancers. This is live TV. In 1955.
Bob played it off so effectively, it’s hard to tell whether the moment was staged or not. You be the judge.
Bonus: 26 years after the live broadcast, the “Ronnie Reagan” guy Bob throws it to at 41:30 would be president.
![Jan Hammer - Miami Vice Theme [OFFICIAL VIDEO]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/6nPTZqnIfFM/hqdefault.jpg)
![1955 Disneyland Opening Day [Complete ABC Broadcast]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JuzrZET-3Ew/hqdefault.jpg)