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Clinton Dem Fundraiser Entangled in Hollywood Ponzi Story

Roger Friedman
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4
Clinton Dem Fundraiser Entangled in Hollywood Ponzi Story

Marvin Rosen, Bill Clinton’s chief fundraiser in the mid 1990s, is embroiled in the Ken Starr Hollywood Ponzi story.

Two years ago, when Starr was sued by the late Joan Stanton for fraud, Rosen was very much a part of the story.

This week, when the SEC arrested Starr, they named a limited liability company called Marose as a beneficiary of Starr’s fund manipulations. Marose is owned by Marvin Rosen.

Rosen was not arrested and has not been named by the SEC. Yet.

The Democratic fundraiser has long been glued to Starr’s side. The two men are partners in Starr & Co. They are also linked socially at countless charity events.

When Stanton sued Starr in 2008, her lawyers named several companies in which Starr had invested over $20 million of her money. Among the dozen or so companies named were Fusion Communications and Terremark Worldwide. Marvin Rosen is the Chairman of the Board of Fusion, a company he founded.  His son, Matthew Rosen, is  CEO of Fusion.

Former basketball great, Julius Erving is also on the Fusion Board. He’s named in the SEC’s complaint against Starr as a former basketball great who owns a golf course. Starr may have diverted funds to his businesses as well.

Marvin Rosen also sits on the board of Terremark Worldwide.

More to come…

“Lois Lane” Settlement May Have Triggered Hollywood Money Manager’s Arrest

Roger Friedman
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0
“Lois Lane” Settlement May Have Triggered Hollywood Money Manager’s Arrest

A multi million dollar settlement with the family of radio’s Lois Lane this past January may have triggered the panic that caused money manager Ken Starr‘s downfall.

The late Joan Stanton was the original voice of Lois Lane on the radio. Her husband, Arthur Stanton, was responsible for bringing Volkswagen to America. When he died in 1987, he left her $60 million. When she died last year, Joan Stanton should have been worth $87 million. Instead, she had been bilked, allegedly, over two decades, by Ken Starr.

Stanton sued Starr and movie producer/Planet Hollywood owner Keith Barish in 2008. It was too late. She alleged in her suit that Starr had either stolen her money directly or put it into phony investments. It may turn out that Stanton’s estate is what funded his enterprise for the last twenty years, making it possible for him to (allegedly) run scams on movie star and celebrity investors.

Joan Stanton died on May 21, 2009. Her estate settled with Barish, who was named as a defendant, in August 2009. But the Stanton didn’t settle with Starr until this past January. Stanton’s daughter, novelist Jane Stanton Hitchcock, signed a confidentiality agreement with Barish and Starr, and cannot speak about anything that happened.

But it seems that the Stanton settlement was what sent Starr around the bend. It’s speculated that his funds were depleted by the settlement. The timing is about right, because the SEC complaint against him picks up a timeline that commences shortly after the Stanton settlement. That’s when actress Uma Thurman asks for but cannot get $1 million from her account, triggering what the SEC alleges is the exposure of Starr’s “Ponzi” scheme. At that point he starts moving funds from one account to another, trying to cover his tracks.

The original Stanton complaint against Starr from 2008 details what was going on, and foreshadows this week’s escapades. Stanton alleged in her complaint that Starr had made unauthorized loans to film companies from her accounts. The lawsuit names Mike Nichols and Diane Sawyer, Wesley Snipes (in whose tax drama Starr was involved), Neil Simon and Broadway producer Hal Prince has potential other victims.

“Because of Mr. Starr’s conduct and mismanagement of her financial affairs, Mrs. Stanton was left on occasion without sufficient liquid assets to cover her tax bills,” the complaint states. “For example, in 2006,” Mrs. Stanton was forced to take out one or more loans of approximately $1 million to cover her tax liabilities and other expenses.”

Starr was charging $228,000 a year just in fees for allegedly stealing from her.

PS Here’s a lovely memorial tribute to Joan Stanton from David Patrick Columbia: http://newyorksocialdiary.com/node/409477

Catherine Zeta Jones Calls Douglases “Her Family” At Theater Awards

Roger Friedman
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3
Catherine Zeta Jones Calls Douglases “Her Family” At Theater Awards

Catherine Zeta Jones picked up her Best Actress in a Musical award yesterday afternoon from the Outer Critics Circle at Sardi’s. She gestured to the myriad caricatures hanging on the walls around her and said, “You have my family here already.” She meant Michael Douglas and his father Kirk. It was very touching.

Zeta Jones wasn’t the only star in the room, however. Both Denzel Washington and Viola Davis came to get their citations for “Fences.” Frank Langella came at his own request to present the Best New Play award to John Logan, who wrote “Red.” Langella couldn’t have been more effusive.

Also on hand were Jan Maxwell, who won for her part in “Lend Me a Tenor,” Katie Finneran, who picked up Featured Actress for “Promises, Promises,” Montego Glover, winner from “Memphis,” and Bon Jovi’s David Bryan, who wrote the “Memphis” songs (he was on his way out to the new Giants Stadium for the Bon Jovi show) and the cast of “God of Carnage”–all of whom presented awards- including Jeff Daniels, Janet McTeer, Lucy Liu, and Dylan Baker. Actress Hallie Foote accepted the award for her late dad, playwright Horton Foote, for his “Orphans Home Cycle” nine hour set of plays.

Around the room: “Fences” producer Scott Rudin, the famed Roger Berlind, and Coen brothers movie producer Ben Barenholtz.

Some picture follow, all c2010 Ann Lawlor.

Will Columbia University Have to Change School’s Name?

Roger Friedman
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8
Will Columbia University Have to Change School’s Name?

Lots of news today about people stealing money and the SEC catching them.

Arthur J. Samberg has to pay a $28 million settlement to the SEC thanks to his Pequot Capital Management, a $5 billion hedge fund, enriching itself from manipulating stocks.

The SEC says Samberg–now barred from being an investment adviser– hired a former Microsoft manager, David Zilkha, and then usedhim to get the inside info on Microsoft. Samberg doesn’t seem to be doing jail time. But Zilkha has been arrested and the SEC is seeking a jury trial against him. There’s no admission of guilt, just the settlement.

The New York Times and NY Post each skipped over the fact that in 2006 Samberg endowed what is known as the Arthur J. Samberg School for Teaching Excellence at Columbia Business School with a $25 million donation.

Whoops!

The school’s website notes: “The Arthur J. Samberg Institute for Teaching Excellence was founded in 2002 with a generous grant from Arthur J. Samberg ’67, chairman of Pequot Capital Management, Inc., and a member of the Columbia Business School Board of Overseers.”

Yes, the grant was generous. The money wasn’t his!

Hmmm. Now what? The Robin Hood Foundation may get a a kick out of this, too. The highly secretive fundraising group of New York billionaires has been the recipient of Samberg’s generosity with other people’s money, too–in the millions. Samberg has been a regular participant in their famous Javits Center galas that include auctions for things like vacations in exotic locales or walk on parts in hit movies and TV shows.

The whole story of Robin Hood must have appealed to Samberg in so many ways.

Samberg also operates two charities. One, named for himself and his wife, donated $637,181 in 2008 to local arts charities in Westchester county, New York. They must be thrilled. That foundation has $3 million in assets.

But more interesting is the $70 million Samberg Family Foundation, which pays the Sambergs’ daughter a $104,000 annual salary, and a $312, 266 salary to one Gerald Levine.

(If you can get a gig with a big charitable fund, it’s really great. For example: David Saltzman, who runs that Robin Hood Foundation, makes $500,000 a year. Kowabunga!)

In 2008, the Foundation gave almost $5 million to various groups in New York and Israel.

Janet Jackson Was Great on “American Idol.” Period.

Roger Friedman
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Janet Jackson Was Great on “American Idol.” Period.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z6CCacSAVY

Janet Jackson was just super Wednesday night on “American Idol.” Looked great, sounded great. If this is the new direction for her career, she’s all set. Somewhere, Michael was smiling.

Money Advisor in $30 Mil Ponzi Scheme Had Friends and Clients in High Places

Roger Friedman
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2
Money Advisor in $30 Mil Ponzi Scheme Had Friends and Clients in High Places

EXCLUSIVE

Ken Starr--not the Ken Starr from Whitewater–has been charged by federal prosecutors with a $30 million Ponzi scheme.

Starr is a money manager for dozens of Hollywood names. Sources tell me this investigation has been proceeding for some time, with many of his former clients settling cases with him to get their money back before Starr was hauled away in handcuffs today.

One of his victims was Joan Stanton, the original voice of Lois Lane on the radio. Stanton is also the now deceased widow of Volkswagen magnate Arthur Stanton. In 1987, Joan Stanton inherited $87 million from her husband. By the time she died, little of it was left. Starr was her financial adviser.

Joan Stanton’s heirs wound up settling with Starr, I am told, in a backstage Upper East Side money scandal that was little publicized when it was first discovered.

But in 2008, Stanton’s family sued Starr. What proceeded from there was an official investigation. Names of Starr’s clients include Mike Nichols and Diane Sawyer, Uma Thurman, David Blaine, and literally dozens of other celebrities.

Starr has always been a steady presence on the social scene, regularly attending premieres and award shows with his second wife, Diane Passage, a former pole dancer and stripper from the famous gentleman’s club Scores. The couple is also known for throwing their own lavish parties. Starr is also a regular at Michael’s, the Manhattan lunch spot for the A list.

Starr’s close friends and associates include Marvin Rosen, former finance chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and Andy Stein, former New York City Council president. Stein was arrested today as well.

PS Tons of pics of Starr, Stein, Rosen and friends at Rob Rich’s photo site: http://tinyurl.com/36zdjys

When it’s all sorted out, you can expect a stunning list of recognizable names whom Starr allegedly bilked. It’s all of the New York glitterati who trusted him. Actors, directors, writers, producers. Henry Kissinger and Caroline Kennedy are also on his list of clients.

More to come…

Greta van Susteren is a Hypocrite about Sarah Palin

Roger Friedman
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4
Greta van Susteren is a Hypocrite about Sarah Palin

Greta van Susteren has posted a picture of Sarah Palin‘s new badly built fence on her blog (no link, sorry). The wobbly structure, which angles up off the ground enough to leave room for a crawl-through, is designed to ward off journalist Joe McGinnis. He’s rented the house next door for five months.

van Susteren captions the fence picture: “To protect against the Wasilla stalker.”

Greta, nominally a journalist for quasi-news organization Fox News, seems to forget that McGinnis is simply a journalist. he’s not breaking any laws, or stalking anyone. He’s writing about Palin. And Palin has obviously lost control over the situation.

But van Susteren is a hypocrite. Her husband, Washington DC attorney John Coale, a prominent Scientologist, worked for Palin through the 2008 election. It’s possible he’s still on her payroll. Thanks to the relationship, Palin gave her first exclusive post-election interview to … Greta. Surprise!

No one expects Fox News to be objective when it comes to supporting Republicans, but this is ridiculous. After all, in her pursuit of tabloid stories for her Fox show, van Susteren and her people have certainly done far more than rent a house next to a subject they were reporting on, whether it was something to do with Natalee Holloway in Aruba or Anna Nicole Smith in the Bahamas.

If McGinnis had moved in next to the Clintons in Westchester, New York, van Susteren would be praising his moxie and inventiveness.

But good work, ladies. You’ve raised the profile of McGinnis’s book three thousand percent! And it’s not even written yet.

PS John Coale has taken at least fifteen Scientology courses, the most recent in 2005 according to this informative site:

http://www.truthaboutscientology.com/stats/by-name/j/john-p.-coale.html

One more thing: Glenn Beck is quoted as saying he won’t have any more Random House authors on his show because he’s so mad at McGinnis. Beck had authors in the first place? From Random House? His fans read books? I think this may a win for Random House.

Will Sex and the City 2 Be Critic Proof and Box Office Gold?

Roger Friedman
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2
Will Sex and the City 2 Be Critic Proof and Box Office Gold?

“Sex and the City 2” has some of the worst reviews ever in recent memory–especially for what’s billed as a romantic comedy.

Currently, it’s rating a 3.7 out of 10 on rottentomatoes.com. Most critics just hated it. But will that matter when it opens today?

I sat through it on Monday night, and will say this: it is just way too long. All I kept thinking was: If only Harvey Weinstein had been in charge, 30 minutes of this nonsense would be gone.

The girls’ trip to Abu Dhabi is excruciating, and something out of era when “Road to Morocco” could milk all kinds of burka jokes. You would think four sophisticated women from New York City, who used to seeing multi-culturalism, would be more savvy when arriving in a foreign country. They act like rubes and hicks.

The other problem is the gay wedding at the beginning of the film. It’s ridiculous, over the top (that’s an understatement) and irrelevant. Plus, the characters who are marrying have always hated each other. Liza Minnelli is, well, Liza Minnelli.

What works: I liked the individual stories more than most, especially Charlotte’s. For once Kristin Davis is given something a little meaty, and she’s good. And Kim Cattrall‘s Samantha is always fun. She’s a caricature, and Cattrall plays it for all it’s worth.

But here are the larger questions: why not bring in some younger acolytes for this gang to train and mentor? Make the movie more timely.Where is the young new struggling columnist who challenges Carrie, or a publicist who wants Samantha’s clients? That’s the real New York.

Also, how is it possible that there are still no people of color or another background in their lives? Aside from an Asian American shopgirl in the beginning, I can’t think of anyone. It’s absurd, especially since Jennifer Hudson (who was in the first movie) and Leona Lewis sing the original song over the titles.

Isn’t it possible that in 2010 Carrie, et al would make friends with Kerry Washington or Sanaa Lathan or Gabrielle Union, Joy Bryant? You know what have been funny: running into an alternate universe black “Sex and the City” quadrangle led by Queen Latifah and discovering how much they had in common.

In Radio City Music Hall, the audience went wild. Standing ovations, screaming, the whole thing. This was all the way up through th e balconies. The unendurable trip to the Middle East didn’t seem to bother them, either.

So now what? We’ll watch the “SATC 2” box office tonight and tomorrow to see what happens. My guess: the audience will not care one way or another. The brand is bigger than the boos. The original film did $26 mil on its opening Friday, which was right after Memorial Day weekend. The three day total was $57 million. The good betting says SATC2 bests those numbers. And it’s not even in 3D.

Don Hill’s Redux; Bebe Buell; African Scorseses; Memphis Toast; Soap Scrub

Roger Friedman
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2
Don Hill’s Redux; Bebe Buell; African Scorseses; Memphis Toast; Soap Scrub

Rock club Don Hill’s in the news. I told you on April 19th that Paul Sevigny and Nur Khan of Kenmare restaurant fame were planning on turning the punk emporium into a classy joint. http://tinyurl.com/35t6z9z It took the New York Post more than a month to say the same thing, without mentioning where the story came from…

…Don Hill’s unofficial queen of rock, Bebe Buell, has a new album called “Sugar,” with a major national release on June 15th. A week later she plays the Roxy in West Hollywood on Sunset…The album is already featured at www.newburycomics.com along with another favorite of this column, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals…

…Five Ethiopian filmmakers got the experience of a lifetime and a culture jolt during the Cannes Film Festival. They were brought to Monaco by the International Emerging Film Talent Association. Their short documentaries were shown at the University of Monaco, and they were wined and dined Monte Carlo style. The filmmakers had never left Ethiopia before, and suddenly found themselves in James Bond country. Amazing. It’s all part of IEFTA’s continuing program to bring filmmaking to Africa…

The cast of Broadway’s “Memphis” — including Tony nominees Montego Glover and Chad Kimball–celebrated with a big  dinner on Monday night…”Memphis” is the likely Best Musical of 2010. The Tony’s are on CBS June 13th…Did you know that one of the producers and behind the scenes movers and shakers is Lorraine Alterman Boyle, widow of the great actor Peter Boyle? Lorraine was once a premiere rock journalist and knows good music better than anyone…

…Disney is shutting down SoapNet, which supported ABC’s remaining soaps, and replacing it with a 24 hour preschool children’s cable channel. Yes, three year-olds are up from 7pm to 7am, and need entertainment! This is just one more way for ABC and Disney to show their lack of support for their soaps. But sleepless toddlers with remotes applaud the decision!….

…



…


Hot New Film Shows Doctors Without Borders, Literally

Roger Friedman
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5
Hot New Film Shows Doctors Without Borders, Literally

Did you ever wonder what those Doctors Without Borders actually do? Now we know, thanks to director Mark Hopkins.

“Living in Emergency” is Hopkins’ unprecedented documentary about Medecins sans Frontieres, the French group that translates in Doctors without Borders. We finally got a chance to see Hopkins’ work –shortlisted for an Oscar– last night at a private screening, and let me tell you–“ER” at its most vibrant is like “Mary Poppins” compared to this stuff.

Hopkins followed missions to the Congo and to Liberia, where a couple of new doctors and a couple of seasoned ones attempted to be of help saving lives, performing unbelievable surgeries, and seeing patients whose illnesses challenged all normal diagnoses. “Living in Emergency” is not for the faint of heart. Brains are drilled, limbs are removed, and a large intestine is shoved back inside a woman. Blood splatters everywhere. Squalor is a way of life.

At last night’s screening we met two of the doctors in the film, Dr. Arnaud Jeannin, and Dr. Kiara Lepora. It should be noted that Hopkins managed to find the most attractive doctors, both female and male. They could easily be stars of a reality show. NBC would be smart to turn this movie into a series, if they could get these docs to return.

ABut that’s part of the problem. Many of the doctors don’t get past one mission. The work is just too harrowing. Alcoholism and other issues linger. Dr. Jeannin, who should be played by Gerard Butler, has taken a leave of absence after 10 years to work and live in Paris helping his sister launch a cosmetics business. Dr. Lepora (think an Italian Helena Bonham Carter) is doing research in Washington, DC after seven years of saving lives in Africa.(The movie  is very frank, too, about their personal lives. Says Dr. Lepora in the film: “Is there a lot of sex? Yes.”)

Two other docs are featured– Dr. Tom Kreuger, of Tennessee, and Dr. Chris Brasher, who describes himself as “homeless”–he’s sort of a permanent Hawkeye Pierce of Doctors Without Borders. One other doctor is featured, an Australian named Davinder Gill, who is charming and young but cracks under the pressure.

The guests at the screening certainly had a lot to talk about afterward. The eclectic group included actress Mamie Gummer, Dr. Jon LaPook, newcaster Jim Rosenfield and wife Dana Conroy, writer Joan Juliet Buck, Bob Balaban and Lynn Grossman, and media expert Gerry Byrne with his beautiful wife, Liz. The film gets it theatrical release next month. You can read about it at www.livinginemergency.com.

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