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‘Nine’ Early Screening Gets Good Word

Roger Friedman
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Rob Marshall’s “Nine” — the big Weinstein Company production of the year — is the most seen and unseen movie of the year, too.

With a December 18th opening postponed from November 25th, “Nine” has been tweaked and polished many times as it heads to theaters. But still no one’s “officially” seen it.

And yet, the message boards on the Internet Movie Data Base and other websites are full of debates over it from secret advance showings. The press hasn’t been privy to such screenings. There are also a handful of people who’ve seen the film in various forms.

What can we glean so far?

It does seem like Penelope Cruz — singing, no less– is a hit. Everyone who’s seen the film has been certain about her performance. Cruz will be on her way to a second best supporting actress nomination if all this pans out. She won earlier this year for her role in Woody Allen’s “Vicky Cristina Barcelona.”

nine 250x3001 Nine Early Screening Gets Good Word Marion Cotillard, best actress Oscar winner two years ago for “La Vie En Rose,” is also getting advance raves. Of the nine women — Cruz, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Judi Dench, Fergie, Sophia Loren, etc — hers seems to be the closest to a lead role. There’s talk on the boards that Cotillard is headed in that direction. It’s not a bad idea, since Best Actress this year is an iffy category — Meryl Streep, Helen Mirren, and Gabby Sidibe (from “Precious”) not withstanding.

What still seems to be a question mark is Daniel Day-Lewis. Is he great as Guido the filmmaker, or miscast? Can he sing? Does it matter? These are still questions to be answered. DDL usually can do no wrong. One’woman I spoke’to who saw “Nine” wasn’t crazy about the songs but said of DDL: “This is the sexiest he’s been since ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being.’ ”

And so we wait, as “Nine” could’be the Oscar killer so’badly needed this’year, or just’a really interesting movie with great performances. It’s as much guessed about as Clint Eastwood’s Nelson Mandela movie, “Invictus,” and just as’late in its showing.

Debbie Rowe: Back to Court on Jackson Kids Visits

Roger Friedman
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Debbie Rowe — mother of Michael Jackson’s two eldest children, Prince Michael and Paris – is on her’way back to court. The reason? Sources say’that in the four months since Michael died, she still has not seen the kids.

I am told that’the deal Rowe worked out with Katherine Jackson after Michael died provided for visits with the kids and a family court psychiatrist. Rowe insisted on the latter, thinking it would be’helpful to introduce her’into the kids’ lives.

But one visit was scotched by Katherine Jackson, and since then the Jacksons have resisted efforts to make a meeting possible. Rowe is unhappy with the situation, and is’said to be instructing her attorney to go back to their’family court judge for an intervention.

“Katherine doesn’t like the idea of the psychiatrist,” says a source. She also, plainly, doesn’t like the idea of the children’s natural mother’getting close to them.

Maybe one reason is that there are a lot of questions about what is going on in the Jackson home. For one thing, one of Rowe’s provisions in the original agreement is that Joseph Jackson have nothing to do with the kids. He’s been revealed by Michael in several different kinds of interviews as abusive to children. He’s certainly been openly exploitative of Michael since his death.

But Joe Jackson has regularly been a presence in Prince, Paris and Blanket’s lives since Michael’s death and the court agreement. In fact,’sources say he was there at Hayvenhurst last week with them.

To make matters worse, I received a call last week from a’friend of Joe Jackson’s, and someone who usually defends the’family.

“Those kids should not be in that house,”’this insider told me. “All that’s talked about is money, Michael’s money, and how to’get it. The kids are very sweet now. But they’ll be ruined if they turn into Jacksons.”

The Crazy Roots of Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind”

Roger Friedman
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The end of the World Series means not having to hear Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” every time Derek Jeter comes to bat. Jeter loved the song so much, featuring Alicia Keys, that he demanded it be played each time he arrived in the batter’s box. It got so out of control that Jay-Z and Alicia actually performed the song during Game 2 of the World Series.

But just in case you’re interested, “Empire State of Mind” is not an original song. Original concept, yes. And Keys’ vocals make the record. But “Empire” is sampled very fully from the early ’70s hit “Love on a Two Way Street,” recorded by the Moments. That song was written by the late Burt Keyes (no relation to Alicia) and famed hip-hop entrepreneur Sylvia Robinson.

Sylvia, in fact, is famous for many things. She was the Sylvia from Mickey & Sylvia’s hit, “Love Is Strange.” On her own, she has a monster classic circa 1973-74 with “Pillow Talk.”

More importantly, in the late ’70s she co-founded Sugar Hill Records, which issued hip-hop/rap’s seminal Sugarhill Gang.

In “Empire,” you can clearly hear the piano parts and the melody of “Love on a Two Way Street.” It’s all there, just the way Jay-Z sampled in whole the Chi Lites’ “Are You My Woman?” for Beyonce’s hit, “Crazy in Love.” That sample made a fortune for the late Eugene Record, leader of the Chi Lites. He wrote the song.

In the same way, it’s hoped that Burt Keyes’ heirs, Sylvia Robinson and whoever played the instruments on the original Moments record is reaping the rewards of “Empire State of Mind.” If they’re not, they should go find themselves good lawyers. “Empire” is a gold mine.

The Moments later changed their name to Ray, Goodman & Brown — the three actual singers in the group — and had a huge hit with “(You Must Be a) Special Lady” in 1980. Another hit, one that I always loved, was called “Take It to the Limit” (1986).

Ray, Goodman, & Brown are not unknown to Alicia Keys. They performed with her on “Sessions at AOL” a few years ago.

Sampling is commonplace in this generation, although it’s still strange to us old curmudgeons. It’s not like “covering” an old record, where the original writer got credit. “Sampling” should be called “hiding” — on hip-hop CDs it’s known as “interpolating,” which is just hilarious. Even talented songwriters, like Alicia, have done it. Her great record, “You Don’t Know My Name” is largely borrowed from the Main Ingredient’s “Let Me Prove My Love to You.”

P.S. Here’s a record in a similar vein to the Moments’ hit — Bloodstone’s “Natural High.” Quentin Tarantino also featured it in “Jackie Brown.”

Beatles Get Restraining Order Against Alleged Pirates

Roger Friedman
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The Beatles and EMI Music got a temporary restraining order today against BlueBeat.com, a Web site illegally offering the Fab Four’s music for 25 cents per download.

BlueBeat — a division of Media Rights Technologies — has been offering streaming music for some time. But last week, MRT’s Hank Risan and company added all the new Beatles remasters not just for streaming but downloading as well. The Beatles do not allow their music to be used for either purpose, as everyone on this planet and several others are well are.

Nevertheless, Risan is claiming that the versions of these Beatles songs are from his own copyright, that he somehow made them — to use his term– psycho-acoustically. On Nov. 20, he will have to prove what this is all about. That’s when he and EMI must return to federal court in Los Angeles.

Something interesting: While BlueBeat has temporarily shut off the buy feature on the Beatles music, you can still stream it — or listen to it — for free. For some reason, Judge John F. Walter did not order that stopped as well.

I spoke to Risan today. He said, “I have every reason to believe we will prevail.” He also said that he will soon share some documents explaining all this. What he did not answer was why he chose the Beatles — the highest-profile, most litigious music organization ever — to test his scientific and mathematical theories.

Risan and his pals are not new to litigation. In 2001, the RIAA hit him with a cease-and-desist letter over another Web site for copyright infringement and potential losses of $150 million. Risan pulled down the music. Unless he can somehow prove that the music he has up on the Internet isn’t the Beatles — he says somehow he’s created his own recordings, but they are the Beatles’ — he will likely have to do the same again.

As I’ve written many times over the last few years, don’t mess with the Beatles.

Oprah’s Exit: Foretold One Year Ago This Week

Roger Friedman
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Oprah Winfrey’s exit from her talk show to her OWN cable channel — I told the story a year ago in my old column. The rumor popped up again today, and both CBS and Winfrey denied that a decision has been made.

Since the creation of the Internet, it’s become an interesting phenomenon of the news cycle that old stories, which made a big splash when they were first published, vanish when a new panic sets in. Today’s so-called scoops about Oprah shutting down her syndicated show are rehashed from a year ago.

Frankly, it’s been understood for some time that Oprah was moving to the OWN network. Her show there would the lynchpin in that new network’s launch. That has always been the plan.

And, as planned and reported a year ago, Oprah will end her syndicated show in 2011, on its 25th anniversary. Her move to cable will be like Howard Stern’s was to Sirius Radio. Suddenly, a lot of people will be signing up for the OWN channel. Oprah will get richer. And someone will come along and fill the void left by her in the afternoon.

So, really, let’s calm down. The end of “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in daytime is two years off. There’s plenty of time to get our farewells in order!

Scorsese Still Looking for His Sinatra

Roger Friedman
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Even though Leonardo DiCaprio has been named as Martin Scorsese’s first choice to play Frank Sinatra, he seems like he’s still looking around.

“When I see the new script soon, and meet with Tina Sinatra, we’ll start to think about it,” Scorsese told me last night. “He has to age from a teenager to his 70s, so we may have to have a few people play him. I don’t know.”

Scorsese also talked to me about his upcoming BBC documentary about George Harrison. “We’ve talked to everyone. We did Paul and Ringo, and Olivia Harrison. She’s the one who gave us the rights for this.” Scorsese has also interviewed Ravi Shankar and most of George’s friends. BBC will air the film in the U.K. but it may have a theatrical release in the U.S., he says.

The reason for Scorsese’s appearance last night was the restoration of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s 1948 masterpiece, “The Red Shoes.” The film has been painstakingly restored and will now have a run at the Film Forum in New York starting Friday. The restoration is amazing, as demonstrated by Thelma Schoonmaker, Powell’s widow, before the screening. Now Scorsese and Schoonmaker will continue to release more Powell films on their crusade to re-establish his and Pressburger’s reputation.

In fact, “The Red Shoes” is mesmerizing. In 1949 it won two Oscars and was nominated for three others including Best Picture. With the Film Foundation’s restoration, you can see why. Powell’s film is epic and so richly textured you wonder how they pulled off such an accomplishment in 1948. Even though most of it was shot on sound stages at London’s Pinewood Studios, the story of a ballet dancer, her producer, and her lover feels real. Every scene is involving. And the production values are startling down to the smallest detail.

“Even the musical scores ‘ the sheets of paper have tape on them,” Scorsese marveled. “You can see they were used scores.” Scorsese told me that the main antagonist, Boris Lermontov (played by Anton Walbrook) has appeared in his own movies over and over. “He’s been a big influence on me,” he said. Scorsese is next going to restore another Powell movie, “The Life and Times of Colonel Blimp,” also starring Walbrook.

And what of “Shutter Island”? Scorsese’s film with DiCaprio was supposed to be released now, but Paramount has pushed it off to February. “It’s something to do with money.” he told me. “But whenever they release, I know they’ll do a good job.” He told me that DiCaprio does his best work yet, “going deeper” than he ever has.

Alec Baldwin Looking Forward to Being Oscar Host

Roger Friedman
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“Some people will say it’s the worst choice in the world.”

That’s how Alec Baldwin figures the reception will be for news that he and Steve Martin are co-hosting the 2010 Academy Awards on March 7th.

“They’ll say, What, are they kidding?” Baldwin was one of the co-hosts last night for the Film Foundation’s magnificent restoration of Michael Powell’s 1948 classic, “The Red Shoes.” He joined director Martin Scorsese, who runs the Foundation, Scorsese’s famed editor Thelma Schoonmaker (who is Powell’s widow), as well as a very pregnant Emily Mortimer and husband Alessandra Nivola, and a very engaged Emily Blunt and John Krasinski, as well as director James Toback and Robert Wuhl later for a Gucci-sponsored soiree at Nobu 57.

A Nobu no-show, but present at the screening at the Directors Guild Theater, was none other than Woody Allen with one of his daughters with Soon Yi Previn.

Baldwin was sanguine about his new job, just announced before the screening started. “I told them I do not play the banjo,” he said, referring to Martin’s hobby. “I’m doing it,” he joked, “out of my respect for the Academy.”

A few other people came by to congratulate him. “You’ll give the show some edge,” someone said.

“Yes,” Baldwin intoned back very Jack Donaghy-like. Ironically, he was sitting at a Nobu table across from Krasinski, who’s on NBC’s rival to Baldwin’s “30 Rock” ‘ “The Office.”

Emily Blunt showed off her very nice engagement ring. She’s shooting a movie in New York right now. Krasinski is in the middle of promoting the film he directed, “Brief Interviews with Hideous Men.”

“We’re just starting our next round of cities we’re releasing to, and more publicity,” he told me.

I told him, I am obsessed with “The Office.”

“I keep waiting for it to jump the shark,” the very amiable Krasinski said. “But it hasn’t. I think the Jim and Pam wedding went very well, it became a universal thing.” He praised star Steve Carell, and agreed that Carell has great chemistry with Amy Ryan, who occasionally plays Holly. “I think it’s great she comes and goes. It prolongs interest.”

When will they ‘ Krasinski and Blunt ‘ actually get married? “Probably during hiatus,” he replied and then sort of kicked himself. “What a showbiz thing to say.”

Mike Bloomberg: Coat Hooks Please, and No More Garden Chairs

Roger Friedman
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Today, we vote for Mayor in New York.

Well, it’s kind of a joke, see? We only have one choice: Mike Bloomberg. He’s spent $900 million zillion running against himself. The other guy, whose name no one can remember, is a non-starter. If he ran the city, everything would just stop. So, forget that.

I don’t know if I can rouse myself to actually vote for Bloomberg. He subverted the system and overrode two referendums concerning term limits so he could run a third time. Will he do it again, for a fourth term? You betcha. My feeling is: term limits were voted in twice. I didn’t vote for them, but it doesn’t matter. The public wanted them. Then Bloomberg didn’t want them. So they disappeared.

Two things I want from Mike Bloomberg this time around. First, I want Times Square returned to its former traffic pattern. Real New Yorkers also want the removal of cheap chairs and tables from the middle of the street. We want the end of concrete turning lanes. Get the parked cars out of the middle of the street. Restore Broadway so it’s possible to drive down New York’s most famous thoroughfare. The only people sitting in those chairs are tourists. The only thing the chair experiment has proven is that if you put a seat anywhere, people will sit in it. Not New Yorkers. People from Kansas. New Yorkers are whizzing by, on foot, by car, on bikes, whatever, and shaking their heads. Some are cursing (I’m not saying who, I’m just sayin’.)

Really: Broadway in the 50s is a disgrace. It’s one lane! Lets get back to normal. Mike, there are gigantic plant pots at every intersection. Down at 23rd and Broadway, some kind of shopping village has popped up. Isn’t it bad enough that you’ve turned the city over to those god awful, mice-producing, traffic snarling street fairs?

Second: it’s time for legislation about coat hooks in public bathrooms. Every men’s stall in New York City must have a proper coat hook for a sport jacket and over coat. Too many times, especially at Starbucks, we are hanging the coats from the large overhead hinge on the door. This is disgraceful. A coat hook costs pennies.

Mike, I don’t expect much more. The homeless have returned, there isn’t enough housing for the old or poor, there are tons of For Rent signs on commercial properties, pot holes, and many other issues. In the last four years, the city has lost a ton of cultural landmarks like CBGB, the Bottom Line, Joe Jr., all of our book and record stores, Tavern on the Green is in peril. New York University keeps bulldozing Greenwich Village. Sixth Avenue in the 20s looks like the Shady Hills Mall. There’s actually a J.C. Penney ‘ something I thought I would not live to see ‘ in Herald Square. Right above more tables and chairs! It’s an abomination. Soon, I’m sure, there will be egg in egg creams. Forget 2012. The apocalypse is now.

Mike, I understand you live in Bermuda on the weekends, you came from Boston or Canada originally, so none of this really matters to you. So concentrate on Times Square and coat hooks, and we’re all set. Let me put it this way: I won’t vote against you.

Mo’Nique Finally Gets into the “Precious” Swing

Roger Friedman
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Well, well. At last: Mo’Nique.

The BET talk show host, comedienne and erstwhile star of “Precious” finally turned up for publicity this past weekend.

Mo’Nique joined the rest of the “Precious” gang ‘ Mariah, Lee Daniels, Gabby Sidibe, Paula Patton ‘‘at the AFI screening of the Oscar buzzed movie. She also participated in a press conference for the Hollywood Foreign Press, and met members of all the different Guilds ‘ i.e. Academy voters.

This publicity lap comes just a few days before “Precious” actually opens, and after 10 months of doing very little for the movie. It’s unknown how much Lions Gate paid Mo’Nique to do her press, or whether exec producers Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey finally brought some pressure to bear on her.

Either way, it’s nice to see Mo’Nique finally getting with the program. Now all the “Precious” folks have to do is make sure no Academy voters see “The Mo’Nique Show” on BET. I’m torn between praising it for its originality and freshness, or panning it for being absolutely dreadful. Mo’Nique is not much of an interviewer. The show itself is kind of a rambunctious party, with a lot of shouting, squealing and exultations from another planet. The guests are also a hoot.’ But there is nothing like hearing Mo’Nique exclaim to each one: “You lookin’ fine, honey!”

The talk show hostess is guaranteed Oscar, Golden Globe, and other nominations. She will be up against a tough crowd in the Supporting category perhaps including Penelope Cruz, Patricia Clarkson, Julianne Moore, Marion Cotillard, and maybe a couple of surprises too.

Mel Gibson’s Divorce Makes For Strange Bedfellows

Roger Friedman
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Mel Gibson’s billion dollar divorce has instigated a fire sale of sorts. And to an ironic buyer. You thought only politics made for strange bedfellows. Divorce does, too!

Over the weekend, it was announced that Gibson ‘ whose career has nosedived since his 2006 DUI arrest and spewing of anti-Semitic comments ‘ sold the U.K.-based distribution arm of his Icon production company. The buyer is Access Industries, owned by billionaire Len Blavatnik, a Russian Jew who is a U.S. citizen.

Talk about ironies. On Friday, a day before the deal was finalized, Gibson’s Russian (but not Jewish) girlfriend gave birth to his eighth child. Gibson is still in the middle of divorcing his wife of 27 years, Robyn, mother of his seven older kids.

Icon, run by Gibson’s pal Bruce Davey, has been a player in the field of international film distribution for years. But the divorce has a hefty price tag since Gibson’s wife is entitled to half of everything he owns. Something had to give, and it was Icon U.K. He still retains his Icon Production company in America, which produced the controversial films “The Passion of the Christ” and “Apocalypto.”

Blavatnik’s front man is Stewart Till, former head of the U.K. Film Commission. Till has big plans for a new Icon U.K. But the substantial sum he paid comes from Blavatnik, a Harvard Business School graduate whom Forbes listed at Number 44 this year on its roster of 400 richest Americans ‘ right between Steve Jobs and David Geffen.

Gibson’s first starring role in many years comes at the end of January 2010 ‘ a traditional dumping ground for so-so films ‘ when he plays a police detective avenging his daughter’s death in “Edge of Darkness.”

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