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Billy Joel opens up about fallout with Elton John over ‘hurtful' rehab remark: ‘There was bad blood'

Billy Joel opens up about fallout with Elton John over ‘hurtful' rehab remark: ‘There was bad blood'

New York Posta day ago
Billy Joel and Elton John haven't always seen eye to eye.
During the newly released second part of HBO's 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes' documentary, Joel revealed how John's public push for him to enter rehab caused a major rift between the two music superstars.
'Elton had made a comment that he thought I needed real rehab,' the 'Movin' Out' singer said in the new doc. 'He chalked it up to, 'Oh, he's a drunk.' And that really hurt me.'
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9 Elton John and Billy Joel onstage at the Honda Center on March 30, 2009, in Anaheim, California.
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9 Elton John performs with Billy Joel during the finale of 'An All-Star Tribute to Brian Wilson' concert on March 29, 2001, at New York's Radio City Music Hall.
AP
'I said, wait a minute? Don't you know me better than that?' Joel, 76, added. 'And there was bad blood for a little while. There was a dovetailing of things that happened during that time.'
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The 'Piano Man' singer was referring to an interview John, 78, gave Rolling Stone in 2011 shortly after the pair toured together.
After John claimed that he and Joel had 'so many cancelled tours' because of 'illnesses' and 'alcoholism,' he suggested that the 'Captain Jack' singer seek real help.
9 Elton John backstage with Billy Joel at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards on February 23, 2000, in Los Angeles, California.
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'He's going to hate me for this, but every time he goes to rehab, they've been light,' the 'Tiny Dancer' musician said at the time. 'I love you, Billy, and this is tough love.'
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Recalling how he felt after John's interview was published, Joel said that he was 'clobbered' and had hit 'rock bottom.'
'I was disillusioned with what I thought it was all supposed to mean,' he said in the second part of the new HBO doc. 'It was like all the signs were pointing to me: Enough.'
9 Billy Joel and Elton John attend an event for the Elton John AIDS Foundation on November 7, 2017, in New York City.
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'And I wrote this letter to the band,' he added. ''I don't want to do this anymore. I'm gonna stop.''
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Joel previously started rehab in 2005 following what he called an 'ultimatum' from his then-wife, Katie Lee.
He entered the Betty Ford Center for a stint, then temporarily stopped touring once his time at the center was over.
9 Elton John and Billy Joel perform in Washington, DC, during their Face2Face Tour on July 11, 2009.
The Washington Post via Getty Images
The 'Vienna' singer has since quit drinking altogether.
'I stopped a couple of years ago,' Joel told the Los Angeles Times in 2023. 'It wasn't a big AA kick. I just got to a point where I'd had enough.'
'I didn't enjoy being completely inebriated, and it probably created more problems in my life than I needed,' he added.
9 Elton John and Billy Joel at the Carrier Dome on the Syracuse University campus on May 5, 2001.
AP
Elsewhere in the new 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes' documentary, the Grammy-winner revealed that he didn't like being compared to Elton John – even if they were close friends and frequent tourmates.
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'Why would I wanna work with another well-known piano player's band?' Joel said while discussing an incident when some suggested he use John's band.
'The lack of imagination was staggering,' he added. 'And I was already having a critical issue with them comparing me to Elton.'
9 Elton John and Billy Joel at the Oracle Arena on February 13, 2010, in Oakland, California.
WireImage
More recently, Joel has made headlines for a shocking brain disorder diagnosis that has forced the 'Stranger' artist to cancel all his concerts through next year.
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Called normal pressure hydrocephalus, the condition affects one's hearing, vision and balance.
Joel announced that he was diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus in May, and he also revealed that he had to cancel his 2025 tour because his condition was 'exacerbated by recent concert performances.'
9 Billy Joel performs during his 150th show at Madison Square Garden on July 25, 2024, in New York City.
Getty Images
Billy is undergoing specific physical therapy and has been advised to refrain from performing during this recovery period,' a statement from his team read. 'Billy is thankful for the excellent care he is receiving.'
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The message added that Joel is 'grateful for the support from fans during this time and looks forward to the day when he can once again take the stage.'
Joel then opened up about his 'scary' brain disorder diagnosis earlier this month.
9 Billy Joel attends the MSG Entertainment and Billy Joel special franchise announcement at Chase Square at Madison Square Garden on June 01, 2023, in New York City.
Getty Images
'I know a lot of people are worried about me and my health, but I'm okay,' he told People in an interview published July 21. 'What I have is something very few people know about, including me, no matter how much you try to research it.'
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'I'm doing my best to work with it and to recover from it,' he shared.
Sadly, the legendary songwriter's diagnosis forced him to miss the world premiere of 'Billy Joel: And So It Goes' when it played at the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival in June.
Both parts of HBO's new Billy Joel documentary are now streaming.
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Tom Lehrer, song satirist and mathematician, dies at 97
Tom Lehrer, song satirist and mathematician, dies at 97

San Francisco Chronicle​

time2 hours ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Tom Lehrer, song satirist and mathematician, dies at 97

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Tom Lehrer, the popular and erudite song satirist who lampooned marriage, politics, racism and the Cold War, then largely abandoned his music career to return to teaching math at Harvard and other universities, has died. He was 97. Longtime friend David Herder said Lehrer died Saturday at his home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He did not specify a cause of death. Lehrer had remained on the math faculty of the University of California at Santa Cruz well into his late 70s. In 2020, he even turned away from his own copyright, granting the public permission to use his lyrics in any format without any fee in return. A Harvard prodigy (he had earned a math degree from the institution at age 18), Lehrer soon turned his very sharp mind to old traditions and current events. 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He told AP in 2000 that hearing from people who had benefited from them gave him far more satisfaction than praise for any of his satirical works. His songs were revived in the 1980 musical revue "Tomfoolery" and he made a rare public appearance in London in 1998 at a celebration honoring that musical's producer, Cameron Mackintosh. Lehrer was born in 1928, in New York City, the son of a successful necktie designer. He recalled an idyllic childhood on Manhattan's Upper West Side that included attending Broadway shows with his family and walking through Central Park day or night. After skipping two grades in school, he entered Harvard at 15 and, after receiving his master's degree, he spent several years unsuccessfully pursuing a doctorate. "I spent many, many years satisfying all the requirements, as many years as possible, and I started on the thesis," he once said. "But I just wanted to be a grad student, it's a wonderful life. That's what I wanted to be, and unfortunately, you can't be a Ph.D. and a grad student at the same time." From time to time, he acknowledged, a student would enroll in one of his classes based on knowledge of his songs. "But it's a real math class," he said at the time. "I don't do any funny theorems. So those people go away pretty quickly." ___ Former Associated Press writer John Rogers contributed to this story. Rogers retired from The AP in 2021.

Jessie Murph sparks outrage over controversial music video depicting domestic violence, pornography
Jessie Murph sparks outrage over controversial music video depicting domestic violence, pornography

New York Post

time3 hours ago

  • New York Post

Jessie Murph sparks outrage over controversial music video depicting domestic violence, pornography

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‘Fantastic Four: First Steps' scores Marvel's first $100 million box office opening of 2025
‘Fantastic Four: First Steps' scores Marvel's first $100 million box office opening of 2025

The Hill

time3 hours ago

  • The Hill

‘Fantastic Four: First Steps' scores Marvel's first $100 million box office opening of 2025

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Marvel's first family has finally found box office gold. 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps,' the first film about the superheroes made under the guidance of Kevin Feige and the Walt Disney Co., earned $118 million in its first weekend in 4,125 North American theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday. That makes it the fourth biggest opening of the year, behind 'A Minecraft Movie,' 'Lilo & Stitch' and 'Superman,' and the biggest Marvel opening since 'Deadpool & Wolverine' grossed $211 million out of the gate last summer. Internationally, 'Fantastic Four' made $100 million from 52 territories, adding up to a $218 million worldwide debut. The numbers were within the range the studio was expecting. The film arrived in the wake of another big superhero reboot, James Gunn's 'Superman,' which opened three weekends ago and has already crossed $500 million globally. That film, from the other main player in comic book films, DC Studios, took second place with $24.9 million domestically. The box office success of 'First Steps' and 'Superman' means 'the whole notion of superhero fatigue, which has been talked about a lot, can I think be put to rest. I always say it's bad movie fatigue, not superhero fatigue,' said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore. 'First Steps' is the latest attempt at bringing the superhuman family to the big screen, following lackluster performances for other versions. The film, based on the original Marvel comics, is set during the 1960s in a retro-futuristic world led by the Fantastic Four, a family of astronauts-turned-superhuman from exposure to cosmic rays during a space mission. The family is made up of Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), who can stretch his body to incredible lengths; Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), who can render herself invisible; Johnny Storm (Joseph Quinn), who transforms into a fiery human torch; and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), who possesses tremendous superhuman strength with his stone-like flesh. The movie takes place four years after the family gained powers, during which Reed's inventions have transformed technology, and Sue's diplomacy has led to global peace. Both audiences and critics responded positively to the film, which currently has an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and promising exit poll responses from opening weekend ticket buyers. An estimated 46% of audiences chose to see it on premium screens, including IMAX and other large formats. The once towering Marvel is working to rebuild audience enthusiasm for its films and characters. Its two previous offerings this year did not reach the cosmic box office heights of 'Deadpool & Wolverine,' which made over $1.3 billion, or those of the 'Avengers'-era. But critically, the films have been on an upswing since the poorly reviewed 'Captain America: Brave New World,' which ultimately grossed $415 million worldwide. 'Thunderbolts,' which jumpstarted the summer movie season, was better received critically but financially is capping out at just over $382 million globally. Like Deadpool and Wolverine, the Fantastic Four characters had been under the banner of 20th Century Fox for years. The studio produced two critically loathed, but decently profitable attempts in the mid-2000s with future Captain America Chris Evans as the Human Torch. In 2015, it tried again (unsuccessfully) with Michael B. Jordan and Miles Teller. They got another chance after Disney's $71 billion acquisition of Fox's entertainment assets in 2019. The 'Fantastic Four's' opening weekend results were a little less than some rival studio projections, Dergarabedian said. Nonetheless, the film is expected to carry movie theater earnings well into August. Holdovers dominated the top 10, but one other newcomer managed to make the chart. The dark romantic comedy 'Oh, Hi!' earned $1.1 million from 866 screens. 'Jurassic World Rebirth' landed in third place in its fourth weekend with $13 million, followed by 'F1' with $6.2 million. The Brad Pitt racing movie also passed $500 million globally. 'Smurfs' rounded out the top five with $5.4 million in its second weekend. The box office is currently up over 12% from last year. Top 10 movies by domestic box office With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore: 1. 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps,' $118 million. 2. 'Superman,' $24.9 million. 3. 'Jurassic World Rebirth,' $13 million. 4. 'F1: The Movie,' $6.2 million. 5. 'Smurfs,' $5.4 million. 6. 'I Know What You Did Last Summer,' $5.1 million. 7. 'How to Train Your Dragon,' $2.8 million. 8. 'Eddington,' $1.7 million. 9. 'Saiyaara,' $1.3 million. 10. 'Oh, Hi!,' $1.1 million.

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