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Saturday is Record Store Day

Roger Friedman
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http://www.recordstoreday.com/

Saturday is Record Store Day around the country. Support your local independent record store! Here in Manhattan the situation is tragic. With the demise of Tower, Virgin and HMV, there are few places where you can actually buy CDs, LPs, or videos.

Back in the late 70s and early 80s, I used to ricochet between Bleecker Bob’s and Rocks in Your Head in SoHo. Strangely enough, the former is still there on West 3rd St. Rocks is long gone, replaced by a real estate agency.

The days of flipping through bins and flirting with girls who were doing the same is relegated to “Hannah and Her Sisters” when Woody runs into Dianne Wiest. What a shame!

As much as I loathe Los Angeles, they at least have Amoeba Records. We just have greedy landlords. But check out the Record Store Day website. There are a few little shops left here and there. I’ll bet if all the people in the world walking around with little earplugs blasting music could hear the full sound of LPs or even well made CDs through a real stereo system and speakers, they’d faint. (www.stereophile.com) A whole generation of downloaders is missing the real thing. Too bad, kids.

For the best, most affordable speakers in the world: www.sequerra.com

Cannes As Predicted: Robin Hood, Wall Street, Woody, Godard

Roger Friedman
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The 2010 Cannes Film Festival movies have been revealed, and –drum roll–it’s a great list.

As I predicted, Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street 2,” Ridley Scott‘s “Robin Hood” (announced officially after we broke the story), and Woody Allen’s “You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger” are all in, albeit out of competition. As I wrote this morning, Julian Schnabel declined to have his “Miral” in that group and so it’s out.

But the rest of the list is pretty cool. Derek Cianfrance’s exceptional “Blue Valentine,” from Sundance, is included. Kudos to the Weinstein Company. This will be an Oscar player next winter. There are also films from Mathieu Almaric–the actor from “Munich” who played the bad guy in the last James Bond; Sophie Fiennes, youngest sister of Ralph and Joseph and Martha; as well as Alejandro Gonzales Innaritu, Doug Liman (this could be the big surprise hit), Bernard Tavernier, Stephen Frears, Mike Leigh, and Diego Luna.

The 2010 Cannes Film Festival will be notable for one special premiere: “Socialisme,” by Jean Luc Godard. The 79 year old father of the French new wave cinema is a god in France and to all cineastes around the world. Although Godard is best known in America for “Breathless,” his resume is full of many gems and masterpieces. It might be interesting to get him and Woody Allen into a press conference.

Congratulations to Thierry Fremaux. It’s a unexpectedly great list. Let the games begin on May 12th!

Mel Gibson: The Passion Is Kaput with Oksana

Roger Friedman
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Mel Gibson and Oksana Grigorieva are kaput-ski. He said “das vidaniya ” to her.

Let’s see: she got an album recorded, paid for and released on a label invented just for her: Icon Records. Of course, it was just on ITunes. But the whole thing, including a song called “When It’s Over,” can be heard for free on www.oksana.fm. I wonder if Mel ever listened to the lyrics to these songs. “A girl’s gotta do, what she’s gotta do.” Indeed.

Oksana also got a baby. This is called insurance. Or an investment. Her other kid was fathered by ex James Bond Timothy Dalton. I mean, hats off to Oksana. And she’s not even 40.

The relationship cost Mel his marriage, and around $500 million to ex wife Robyn if her lawyer did a good job.

Mel and Oksana’s last public appearance, by the way, was at Hollywood Reporter ex publisher Eric Mika’s pre Oscar party at the mayor’s residence. Mayor Villiaragosa actually gave Mel an award, along with the Mexican Chamber of Commerce, for shooting a new movie in Mexico despite the protests of locals. Mel was there, looking disheveled and asleep, with Oksana. They left quickly.

So who’s the next artist on Icon Records?

Jack Kevorkian: Dr. Death Becomes a Rock Star

Roger Friedman
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Dr. Jack Kevorkian: he helped 130 people to their deaths through assisted suicide. He spent 8 1/2 years in jail. And now, at the age of 82, Dr, Death is a rock star.

Last night was the New York premiere of Barry Levinson’s excellent new HBO about Kevorkian, “You Don’t Know Jack,” starring Al Pacino. The screening was at the Ziegfeld, with a heavy A list. The party was at the legendary Four Seasons restaurant. This is the top. You can’t do better than this kind of action.

At the Four Seasons, young girls in mini-skirts lined up to have their picture taken with Kevorkian. A listers like Bob Balaban, Michele Lee, and Garry Trudeau were guests. The Four Seasons served their famous lambchops and mashed potatoes.

The joke going around was: don’t even tell Dr. Kevorkian you have the sniffles. In case he’s trigger happy.

But seriously: Oscar winner Levinson has made an Emmy worthy movie, giving Pacino a nuanced performance–his best in many years. John Goodman and Danny Huston are very, very good in supporting roles, as is Susan Sarandon as Kevorkian’s right hand. Ordinarily Sarandon would be the female standout but “Jack” has a surprise: Brenda Vaccaro.

Youngsters may wonder: who is Brenda Vaccaro? Well, she was hot stuff–cute, smart and sexy–in the 60s and early 70s. Vaccaro was an “It” girl. sort of in the same category as Susan St. James and Stefanie Powers. She did tons of TV every year, dated everyone, and had a great role in a Best Picture, “Midnight Cowboy.”

In “Jack,” Brenda plays Kevorkian’s beloved sister Margo, his partner and rock as if her whole legacy depended on it. She and Pacino seem like they’ve been brother and sister forever. They’ve known each other in real life since the 60s, so that helps. “Marty Bregman gave us each our starts and introduced us,” Al explained, while Bregman beamed. “We go all the way back,” said Brenda. Pencil her in for a Best Supporting Actress Emmy next fall.

Pacino was happy cat all night. He brought his 33 year old Argentinian girlfriend, Lucilla, who’s also the mother a 13 year old. He also brought his 20 year old daughter, Julie, a budding filmmaker. A short film of hers called “Prodigal,” may play out of competition at Cannes. Pacino has two younger kids with Beverly D’Angelo, but this one’s ready to go in the world. She’s a smart cookie, and funny.

“She’s also a great softball player,” Pacino chimed in.

But back to Dr. K on the couch, getting his picture taken with nymphets. He’s very happy about the movie. And why not? It’s a very synpathetic portrait of a man who–right or wrong–helped 130 people die. These stories usually don’t end with lambchops. He loves Pacino. He told Al, “I’d love to go down the street with you dressed as me. I’d say, I’m Al Pacino and this is Jack Kevorkian. That’s how much you’re like me in the movie.”

Each of Kevorkian’s attorneys were there, too, but only one–Detroit’s Geoffrey Feiger–is in the film (played so well by Danny Huston). Feier rose to fame on TV defending Kevorkian, but apparently they had a falling out along the way. The more steadfast Mayer Morganroth, who’s mentioned in passing in the film, was the guy who really filed all the motions and stuck by Dr. Death for 16 years. He never leaves his client’s side. After years of pro bono work, he’s finally getting paid.

Kevorkian is looking forward to all his new fame, starting with that lunch time interview on Friday with Anderson Cooper. “Bring your toughest questions,” he advised me. “I’ll answer anything.” Stay tuned.

Schnabel Says No to Cannes, Yes to Venice and Toronto

Roger Friedman
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Award winning director and famed artist Julian Schnabel will not be taking his new film, “Miral,” to the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.

The festival announces its lineup this morning. Schnabel had previously debuted his “Diving Bell and the Butterfly” there, and “Before Night Falls.”

But he says the festival wanted him to screen “Miral” out of competition but in the main festival. He said thanks, but no. The result is that “Miral” will debut in Venice, and then go to Toronto back to back next September. In Toronto, Schnabel, sources say, may also have a huge exhibition of his art simultaneously.

The Cannes fest is never without controversy, so some media outlets say they are boycotting this morning’s announcements because they’re being denied red carpet spots during the upcoming festival. And I’m also told opening night film “Robin Hood” may only have director Ridley Scott and star Russell Crowe at its press conference on the morning of May 12th. For some reason Cate Blanchett and the rest of the cast may not attend. Why? I have no idea. Usually the entire cast of a film sits for its press conference. Quel fromage!

Check back at www.hollywoodnews.com later this morning for the complete list of 2010 Cannes films.

Girls School: “Tanner Hall,” Toronto Film Fest Hit, Set for Fall Release

Roger Friedman
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“Tanner Hall” the movie everyone loved last fall in Toronto. It was directed by Tatiana von Furstenberg and Francesca Gregorini. Yes, their moms are DVF and Barbara Bach (aka Mrs. Ringo Starr.)

Now the fate of “Tanner Hall” has finally been resolved. It’s been bought by Moving Pictures Film & TV. The indie group will release it this fall, which makes sense since it’s a girl’s school movie along the lines of “Mona Lisa Smile” but better.

Last night, star Rooney Mara picked up the Stargazer award at the GenArt Festival for Best Performance by an Emerging Actor. And the movie won the Fest’s jury prize. Acura gave the filmmakers $10.000.

This movie also has a terrific turn by Tom Everett Scott, who needs a break already.

I do like the fact that these filmmakers have not used their family connections to get a major studio involved. They’ve gone the indie route and deserve kudos.

Whitney Houston Struggles For a Comeback in the UK

Roger Friedman
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Whitney Houston is not having an easy time of it.

She opened her tour last night in Birmingham, England after a brief hospitalization in Paris derailed her first dates. This is after a disastrous bunch of dates in Australia a few weeks ago.

The British reviewers were not kind. Even though Whitney tried with all her might to resurrect herself, the voice simply is not there. It’s almost heartbreaking to hear her just not be able to find even the voice she had two years ago at Clive Davis’s Grammy party. Clearly, her instrument is injured.

There are a number of examples on YouTube. Here’s one, a short clip of “Saving All My Love for You”: http://tinyurl.com/y2la98s

What is going on? It’s hard to say. Houston denies drugs have been involved, and we can only hope she’s telling the truth. Whatever is going on, this is not the Whitney even of more recent days. And it can only be frustrating as hell for her. She knows that somewhere in there still lies what used to be the greatest voice of all.

Have Mercy: Sonny Corleone’s Kid Makes Good

Roger Friedman
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Sonny Corleone’s kid has finally done it: Scott Caan, son of “Godfather” actor James Caan, has made his own movie. And it’s pretty good.

Caan wrote and produced “Mercy,” which closed the GenArt Film Festival last night. IFC will release the film on April 28th, directed by Patrick Hoelke.Troy Garity, Erika Christensen and Wendy Glenn co-star.

What’s interesting about “Mercy” is that it’s a romantic comedy (with a little melodrama) told from the male perspective. Maybe this is a trend. Josh Radnor’s film “happythankyoumoreplease,” which was at Sundance this year, is similar.

“Mercy” is very romantic, and Caan–who couldn’t get released from shooting “Entourage” in L.A. to be at last night’s premiere–makes for a sympathetic hero. It doesn’t hurt that halfway through he adds his dad to the mix. When James Caan appears on the screen, the movie ticks upward immediately. You want to see what he’s going to do about all this mushy love stuff.

Hoelke is an odd duck who dresses a little like Fidel Castro. But he’s smart in keeping the film intimate (not shaky camera, don’t worry). And he gets a great performance out of Garity, who has goofy leading man looks and a great unexpected sense of humor that lightens Caan’s character’s moroseness. (Garity is ready for a breakout lead role in an indie comedy.) There’s also some welcome relief when the going gets tough from John Boyd. And Wendy Glenn is a real find.

Why wasn’t “Mercy” in Sundance or Tribeca? I have no idea. It’s certainly good enough. I haven’t liked an IFC film this much since “Lonesome Jim” or “Me and You and Everyone I Know.”

Oprah Book: Ex-Employees Could Make Good Unnamed Sources

Roger Friedman
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Who woulda thunk it?

The mainstream media has accepted the word of Kitty Kelley, a trash biographer who depends of unnamed sources, over Oprah Winfrey, a woman who’s obviously made too much money and been too successful as a broadcaster and philanthropist.

As of now, and thanks to the internet, Kelley’s assertions about Winfrey in her new book have been presented as a fait accompli. No one’s bothered to check them out. They’re just reprinted millions of times, from the New York Post to the Washington Post.

This column was the only one to call Oprah’s aunt in Mississippi, Mrs. Katherine Esters, to see what Kelley had wrought. And Mrs. Esters, as I wrote here yesterday, disputed Kelley’s claims. She says that Kelley manipulated and hounded her, that she never told Kelley family secrets.

It seems to fall on deaf ears.

The New York Post just laid it out, happily enough: “Lesbian fling, prostitution, and abuse lies.” That’s it, case closed. Unbelievable. Even worse: the lofty Howard Kurtz deigns to roll in the mud, writing about Kelley and using her interview with the slimy Michael Jackson hunter Diane Dimond, formerly of “Hard Copy,” to bolster his argument. Has Kurtz ever been able to book himself on Oprah? Probably not.

Kelley must be pleased. Her attempted assassination has no doubt caused the pain she sought to inflict on Winfrey. She’s endeavored to ruin a career far more substantial than her own by miles. Good work!

Kelley had a lot of help in this project. Unnamed sources are usually disgruntled ex-employees. In this case, Kelley has said she used people who’d signed confidentiality agreements. They’d have to give back their monetary settlements if they were caught.

It’s not hard to find the culprits. Oprah’s show has not had a lot of turnover, and the staff has always been treated well. But back in 1994 there was a huge amount of turmoil. Lots of people left or were fired. This could be an Agatha Christie mystery. (It was covered in Entertainment Weekly at http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,304426,00.html.)

Also, Kelley’s book is published by Crown, a division of Random House. Maybe they’re getting even. Back in 1994, Oprah abruptly canceled publication of her scheduled autobiography by Knopf, another Random House division. She returned the advance. But the decision left Random House holding the bag without its anticipated best seller.

And let’s not forget: there was some kind of manuscript or treatment from that book. It’s no doubt out there, somewhere.

Of course, the current Random House is not the company started by Bennett Cerf and run so beautifully for many years by Bob Bernstein. Kelley’s book is the kind of thing only hacks like Lyle Stuart would publish in the old days. How times have changed.

Anderson Cooper Gets First Interview with Dr. Kevorkian

Roger Friedman
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Wasn’t Anderson Cooper just swimming with sharks last week on “60 Minutes”?

Now he’s doing something even more courageous: he’s interviewing Dr. Jack Kevorkian.

Dr. Death is giving Cooper his first post-prison interview this Friday. It’s not actually on CNN, but set for a lunch time live get together at CNN headquarters in New York.

The interview will be preceded by sandwiches and snacks, according to the invite, and a welcome from CNN’s prez, Jon Klein.

You have to give Cooper credit for doing this. His own brother, Carter, committed suicide at age 23 in July 1988. Anderson wrote about it in his blog back in 2005: http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/08/16/brother/

Talk about a charged meeting. Kevorkian has said he helped at least 130 people die of physician assisted suicide. He served 8 years of a 10 to 25 year prison sentence for second degree murder. He’ll turn 81 in May.

This lunch time interlude suddenly is the hottest ticket in town, as Dr. Kevorkian has agreed to answer questions from the audience. The last time he was in public, by the way, was right before he went to jail. It was Time Magazine’s 75th anniversary at Radio City Music Hall. The crowd included Henry Kissinger, Joe DiMaggio, and Muhammad Ali, but Kevorkian was who everyone wanted to, if not meet, look at.

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