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John Travolta’s Foundation for Late Son Jett: In 2016, Ellen DeGeneres Was the Only Contributor (Including Travolta)

Roger Friedman
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John Travolta’s Foundation for Late Son Jett: In 2016, Ellen DeGeneres Was the Only Contributor (Including Travolta)

The Form 990 is in for the Jett Travolta Foundation for 2016. The only donor to the foundation that year was Ellen DeGeneres’s WAD Productions in the amount of $10,000. No one else gave money to the Jett Travolta Foundation including John Travolta. The foundation itself gave away $47,905 to other charities including two involving Scientology.

Jett was the 16 year old autistic son of John Travolta and Kelly Preston. He died after suffering a seizure and hitting his head on New Year’s 2009 at the Travolta’s Grand Bahama Island home.  For his whole life the Travolta’s insisted he suffered from Kawasaki Syndrome. In fact, as Travolta admitted when the police arrived after Jett’s death, was autistic. Scientology doesn’t believe in psychiatry or treatment of mental illness.

Travolta didn’t donate to his the foundation named for his son in 2015, either. That year Jett Travolta Foundation received two contributions: $100,000 from Muhammad Ali’s Celebrity Fight Night, and $50,000 from the LPGA in nearby Florida.

As for Ellen Degeneres’s donation, there’s no particular reason why the talk show host wrote the check other than to honor Jett’s memory. Travolta, Preston and daughter Ella did make a rare appearance together on “Ellen” on April 5, 2016.

Not Good News for “American Idol” as Ratings Continue Drop, “The Voice” Hangs in There

Roger Friedman
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Not Good News for “American Idol” as Ratings Continue Drop, “The Voice” Hangs in There

Something about “American Idol” is just not clicking with the audience.

On Monday night, “Idol” ratings dropped again, this time to 6.9 million viewers. Last Monday, “Idol” was at 7.7 million.

On Sunday night, “Idol” dropped about a million viewers from the prior Sunday.

Meanwhile, “The Voice” remained in good shape with 9.3 million, down 500,000 from the week before.

It’s true that the ratings for these shows sag in the middle of their seasons while the competition works itself out. They come back for the big finales, certainly. But “Idol” is slowly eroding to the point where not many will care who the finalists are next month.

Cannes 2018 Party Schedule Will Suffer Without Annual Soirees from Harvey Weinstein, Vanity Fair, Charles Finch, and amFAR in Tatters

Roger Friedman
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Cannes 2018 Party Schedule Will Suffer Without Annual Soirees from Harvey Weinstein, Vanity Fair, Charles Finch, and amFAR in Tatters

The Festival du Cannes is all about movies– and parties.

And while the movies are lining up nicely, the party schedule will suffer this year– especially up at the Hotel du Cap and Eden Roc restaurant.

Obviously gone is Harvey Weinstein, but with him are not only his own company’s parties but a couple of others as well.

Weinstein was the straw that stirred the drink in Cannes social life for the last 20 years. His movie company would host one, two, or sometimes three of the hottest invites. There was always a kind of general party for stars, distributors, and beautiful people at which Harvey would run a showcase of clips of upcoming films.  These gatherings were legendary and often set the tone for the upcoming Oscar season.

Weinstein was also the central guest of honor every year at Charles Finch’s annual “Filmmakers Party” at the Eden Roc, where everyone from Mick Jagger to Edward Norton, famous directors and bevvies of beauties would hob nob all night. But Finch– a PR man who’s the son of the late British actor Peter Finch– has cancelled the soiree this year. There’s no Harvey, and there’s no Jagger since the Rolling Stones will be rehearsing for a short British-European tour of stadiums that begins May 17th in Dublin.

Johnny Pigozzi, heir to the Simca automobile fortune, also gives an afternoon party at his villa next to the Hotel duCap, featuring Jagger. He may have to get someone who moves like Jagger instead.

Weinstein’s absence will also be tied to the annual amFAR dinner at the Eden Roc, which this year should be quite the calamity without its perpetual host and celebrity wrangler, not to mention absent a good deal of its board and chairman, Kenneth Cole. Between controversies over Weinstein and Cole’s handling of a donation last year, not to mention a huge amount of internal squabbling, plus their continued snubbing of Sharon Stone, amFAR in Cannes won’t be the usual pageant of sycophancy as in the past.

Finally, Vanity Fair is skipping its annual gala at the Eden Roc. Graydon Carter is gone, and so are the VF parties. They’ve already gotten rid of their Tribeca Film Festival gathering at the Customs House in downtown New York. Plus the get together after the White House Correspondents Dinner is over with the arrival of Trump. VF had been alternating years for Cannes, and gave a party last year.

Barbara Walters Donates $15 Million to Sarah Lawrence College, Largest Gift Ever to Alma Mater, for Student Center

Roger Friedman
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Barbara Walters Donates $15 Million to Sarah Lawrence College, Largest Gift Ever to Alma Mater, for Student Center

Barbara Walters may be retired, but her vast net worth ($150 million) is making things grow around us to paraphrase “Hello, Dolly!”

Three years ago, Walters donated $15 million to Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York, as well as all her personal papers and archives.

Now construction has begun on the Barbara Walters Student Center. It’s the largest donation anyone’s ever made to the College. Walters’ gift was the lead donation toward a $35 million building. David Geffen and Hugh Jackman are said to have made secondary donations.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held at Sarah Lawrence in February. All local and school officials turned out but there was no sign of Barbara, who no longer appears in public, or her daughter, Jacqueline Guber. No one even came from “The View” or ABC.

But the Walters building, fittingly, will be at the center of the campus, and not missed by anyone who ambles by. I do hope there’s a corner in there set aside for Liz Smith, the great gossip columnist who promoted Barbara on a daily basis and had her back through 50 years of negotiations with network brass.

Cable Ratings Post- Hannity -Cohen Reveal: Maddow Within 100 Viewers, O’Donnell Bends Ingraham’s Angle

Roger Friedman
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Cable Ratings Post- Hannity -Cohen Reveal: Maddow Within 100 Viewers, O’Donnell Bends Ingraham’s Angle

So last night, what happened on cable talk news after the crazy reveal in court that Sean Hannity was the mysterious third client of Michael Cohen?

Hannity did beat Rachel Maddow at 9m but not by much–fewer than 100 viewers, 3.701 million to 3.613 million. Eighty-eight viewers more care to hear Hannity squirm his explanation out to America.

But right after that, Lawrence O’Donnell with 2.928 million flipped the switch of Fox News’s Laura Ingraham who had just 2.831 million.

Much was made the other day by a Fox News press release claiming Ingraham was booming in the ratings. Far from it– she had one good night, last Friday, on the coattails of Donald Trump distract-bombing Syria. Otherwise Ingraham is chugging along behind MSNBC’s O’Donnell.

Again, the Fox News viewers aren’t getting the actual news, but stories catering to old roosters nodding off to sleep after getting their Lipitor. Most of them may not really know what Hannity’s done this time– or that last night Alan Dershowitz criticized Hannity on his own show!

Pulitzer First: Damn! Pulitzer Prize One-Ups Nobel Prize, Gives First Time Ever Popular Music Award to Kendrick Lamar

Roger Friedman
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Pulitzer First: Damn! Pulitzer Prize One-Ups Nobel Prize, Gives First Time Ever Popular Music Award to Kendrick Lamar

Holy moly. The Pulitzer Prizes just did the Nobel Prize one better.

Last year, the Nobels gave Bob Dylan a Lifetime Achievement Award for his music. We thought that was a ‘first.”

Today the Pulitzer Prize committee rap and hip hop artist Kendrick Lamar a Pulitzer for his album, “Damn.”

How terrific is that? Forget that it’s hip hop or rap. Lamar’s win is exceptional in that no popular music has won the Pulitzer. The winners are usually jazz or classical musicians, or the journalists who write about them.

This is a BIG deal. Think of it– the Pulitzers never gave an award to — fill in the blank– dozens of different singer songwriters who’ve written about contemporary themes, from Nina Simone to Marvin Gaye to Paul Simon. And, of course, Dylan.

The award says:

“Recording released on April 14, 2017, a virtuosic song collection unified by its vernacular authenticity and rhythmic dynamism that offers affecting vignettes capturing the complexity of modern African-American life.”

Congrats, Kendrick!

“Fatal Attraction” Star Anne Archer–A Prominent Scientologist– Says She’s Never Seen Leah Remini’s Award Winning “Aftermath” Series

Roger Friedman
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“Fatal Attraction” Star Anne Archer–A Prominent Scientologist– Says She’s Never Seen Leah Remini’s Award Winning “Aftermath” Series

You know Anne Archer– she was nominated for an Oscar for “Fatal Attraction” as the cheated on wife. She had a good run on “Falcon Crest” in the 80s. Her mother was Marjorie Lord, who played Danny Thomas’s wife on “Make Room for Daddy.”

Archer is a prominent Scientologist, also. Her son, Tom Davis, was celebrity wrangler for David Miscagive for years. He was stuck like glue to Tom Cruise and also looked a lot like him. It was Davis who did Miscavige’s dirty work according to many reports and my own observations. Davis and actress Kelly Preston (Travolta) came after me in 2008 after I wrote how Scientology had basically killed Isaac Hayes by working him to death.

So when I saw Archer at a performance on Broadway this past week of “Three Tall Women,” I was curious: what did she think of Leah Remini’s award winning A&E series “Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath”? Remini escaped from Scientology a couple of years ago with her family and launched this series to investigate the cult’s scary business of intimidation, harassment, and separation of families.

First, I asked Archer– who I always liked in the movies before it became clear she was part of a dangerous cult– how she liked the play? “Very much,” she said. “Just great. It will run forever.”

“What do you think of Leah Remini’s series?” I asked her. And this is why she received an Oscar nomination. Without hesitation she said, “I don’t know anything about it. I don’t really watch network TV.”

So I thought, hmmmm, maybe she means “King of Queens” or “Kevin Can’t Wait.” So I said, “No I mean her cable series…”

She shook her head. “No,” she said, with a twinkle in her eye. She shrugged. “I did like The Crown, and have you seen Berlin Station? We really like that.”

And that was it. I did ask Archer what brought her to New York this week. She’s filming “Law & Order SVU,” playing a rich, eccentric lady, she said.

Tribeca Film Fest Enlists All Star Jury Members Including Ray Liotta, Josh Charles, Sheila Nevins, and Sapphire (“Precious”)

Roger Friedman
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Tribeca Film Fest Enlists All Star Jury Members Including Ray Liotta, Josh Charles, Sheila Nevins, and Sapphire (“Precious”)

The Tribeca Film Festival kicks off Wednesday night at the Beacon Theater with “Love, Gilda” about the late very great Gilda Radner. From there the schedule is full of great stuff. Now Tribeca has announced the juries in all categories and it’s star studded.

Here’s the release”

Feature Film Competition Categories

The jurors for the 2018 US Narrative Competition section are:

Justin Bartha: Actor Justin Bartha has co-starred in two be-loved billion dollar franchises: The Hangover and National Treasure. Some of Bartha’s other notable film credits include White Girl, Holy Rollers, Dark Horse, The Rebound, opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Failure to Launch with Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Jessica Parker. Upcoming films include Nick Hamm’s Driven and Collin Friesen’s Sorry for Your Loss. Bartha can currently be seen co-starring in the acclaimed drama, The Good Fight for CBS All Access.
Bilge Ebiri: Bilge Ebiri is the senior film critic for the Village Voice.
Jenny Lumet: Jenny Lumet is the author of Rachel Getting Married for which she received the 2008 New York Film Critics Circle Award, 2008 Toronto Film Critics Association Award, and 2008 Washington D.C. Film Critics Association Award and NAACP Image Award.
Chris Messina: Actor Chris Messina will next be seen in Sharp Objects with director Jean-Marc Valle opposite Amy Adams for HBO.
Lakeith Stanfield: Actor Lakeith Stanfield stars in Netflix’s Come Sunday opposite Chiwetel Eijofor, premiering April 13th on Netflix and in Boots Riley’s Sundance hit Sorry to Bother You, out July 6th from Annapurna Films. On the small screen, Lakeith has gained critical acclaim for his role as ‘Darius’ in Donald Glover and FX’s series Atlanta. He is currently shooting The Girl in the Spider’s Web opposite Claire Foy, out November 2018.

The jurors for the 2018 International Narrative Competition section are:

Florence Almozini: Florence Almozini is currently the Associate Director of Programming at the Film Society of Lincoln Center.
Martha Coolidge: Martha Coolidge is an award winning director, and the only female president of the DGA, so far. Her work ranges from Indies to studio films, TV and documentaries. She has been on the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Pictures, the DGA, the AFI and has directed many actors to Academy, Golden Globe, Emmy and Spirit Awards.
André Holland: Andre Holland’s film credits include Moonlight (Academy Award® for Best Picture), Selma (Academy Award Nominee), 42, Miracle at St. Anna, and the acclaimed 2008 independent film Sugar. He’ll next be seen in the Stephen King inspired series, Castle Rock (Hulu/Bad Robot), and can currently be seen in Ava DuVernay’s adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time alongside Mindy Kaling, Reese Witherspoon, and Oprah Winfrey.
Ray Liotta: Ray Liotta has become a prominent figure in entertainment appearing in film, TV, Broadway, and even lending his talents to production. He currently stars on the NBC drama Shades of Blue as Lieutenant Matt Wozniak.
Haifaa Al Mansour: Haifaa Al Mansour is the first female filmmaker from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the director of Wadjda, the first full-length film ever shot inside the Kingdom.

The jurors for the 2018 Documentary Competition section are:

Dan Cogan: Dan Cogan is the Academy Award-winning and BAFTA Award-nominated producer of Icarus and the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Impact Partners, a fund and advisory service for investors and philanthropists who seek to promote social change through film.
Kirsten Johnson: Kirsten Johnson is a cinematographer and director. Her most recent film Camerperson premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, was released by the Criterion Collection, named one of the “Top Ten Films of 2016″ by The New York Times and The Washington Post, and was shortlisted for the 2017 Academy Awards.
Brett Morgen: Brett Morgen is an award-winning director, producer, writer and editor.

The jurors for the 2018 Best New Narrative Director Competition section are:

Josh Charles: Josh Charles is an Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG award nominated film, television and stage actor.
Joshua Leonard: Joshua Leonard is a filmmaker, writer, and actor. His notable credits as an actor include the lo-fi sensation The Blair Witch Project, the Independent Spirit Award winning Humpday and Steven Soderbergh’s Unsane which was recently released in theaters. His credits as a director include The Lie (Sundance 2011) and the upcoming Behold My Heart.
Zosia Mamet: Zosia Mamet has established herself as one of the film and television industry’s most exciting young talents as both an actress and producer.

The jurors for the 2018 Albert Maysles Award (Best New Documentary Director Award) are:

Nelson George: Nelson George is an author, cultural critic, and filmmaker who moves between multiple disciplines.
Linda Knowlton: Linda Knowlton is an Emmy-nominated director and producer, working in documentary and scripted feature films, as well as in television.
Elvira Lind: Elvira Lind created, filmed and executive produced the TV series Twiz and Tuck launched on Viceland in 2017. Her second feature documentary, Bobbi Jene, won three awards at Tribeca 2017, including best documentary, and opened in cinemas in the U.S. in September the same year.
Basil Tsiokos: Basil Tsiokos is the Director of Programming for DOC NYC, and the Nantucket Film Festival, and a Programming Associate at Sundance.
Derek Waters: Derek Waters is the creator and host of Emmy-winning Drunk History on Comedy Central. Waters has also earned an Emmy-nomination for directing.

Short Film Competition Categories

The jurors for the 2018 Narrative Short Competition section are:

Steve Aoki: Steve Aoki is a two-time Grammy-nominated international producer/DJ, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder of the trendsetting record label, events/lifestyle company and apparel line Dim Mak.
Amy Kaufman: Amy Kaufman is a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times, where she has covered film, celebrity and pop culture since 2009. She is also the author of New York Times best seller Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America’s Favorite Guilty Pleasure.
Sheila Nevins: Sheila Nevins is the former President of HBO Documentary Films and executive producer on upcoming projects. She has been responsible for overseeing the development and production of more than 1,000 documentaries for HBO, HBO2, and Cinemax.
Alex Pettyfer: Alex Pettyfer has established himself as a leading man by starring in such films as I Am Number Four and Magic Mike. He will soon make his debut as a feature film director when his movie, Back Roads, debuts at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 20th.
Norman Reedus: Norman Reedus is an immensely talented actor, filmmaker, and artist with a gift for taking on challenging roles and bringing dynamic characters to life on screen.
Alysia Reiner: Alysia Reiner, actress and producer, is best known as “Fig” on Orange is the New Black and won a SAG award as part of the amazing ensemble cast.
Ondi Timoner: Ondi Timoner has the rare distinction of winning the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival twice for Dig! and We Live In Public. Her sixth feature documentary, Brand: A Second Coming, opened SXSW ’15 and is premiering her first scripted film, Mapplethorpe, which she wrote, directed and produced here at Tribeca.

The jurors for the 2018 Short Documentary and Student Visionary Competitions section are:

Sapphire: Sapphire is the author of the bestselling novels The Kid and Push which was made into the Academy Award-winning movie Precious.
Joe Daniels: Joe Daniels is the former President & CEO of the National September 11th Memorial & Museum and as of April 2018 will become the CEO of the as-of-yet-unbuilt National Medal of Honor Museum in Charleston, SC.
Amy Kaufman: Amy Kaufman is an executive who shepherded productions for Good Machine International and Focus Features including Y Tu Mamá También, 21 Grams, Lost in Translation, and The Constant Gardener.
Susan Lacy: Susan Lacy is an award-winning director and producer. She recently premiered Spielberg and Jane Fonda in Five Acts – both for HBO Documentary Films, with her production company Pentimento Productions. Susan is also the creator and former executive producer of PBS’ American Masters.
James Steyer: James Steyer is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Common Sense Media, the nation’s leading independent nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a powerful voice for kids and families in the 21st Century.

Storyscapes Award

The jurors for the 2018 Storyscapes Competition are:

Myriam Achard: Myriam Achard has been a Director of PR & Communications at the Phi Centre since 2012 where she is also responsible for the VR Garden’s programming and the immersive/interactive exhibits.
Marcie Jastrow: Marcie Jastrow is an industry veteran with over 20 years in the entertainment business. She currently serves as the SVP of Immersive Media at Technicolor, as well as the Head of the Technicolor Experience Center (TEC), dedicated to bringing artists, technologists, and partners together to build the future of immersive media.
Nicholas Thompson: Nicholas Thompson is the Editor-in-Chief of WIRED. Under his leadership, WIRED has launched a successful paywall, a Snapchat channel, and an AMP Stories edition; it has also been nominated for National Magazine Awards in design and feature writing.

Nora Ephron Award

The jurors for the 2018 Nora Ephron Award are:

Joanna Gleason: Joanna Gleason has appeared in 15 Broadway and Off-Broadway shows, winning the Tony for Best Actress in Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods.
Rebecca Keegan: Rebecca Keegan is a Vanity Fair Hollywood Correspondent who reports on the film and TV industries and writes VF.com’s HWD Weekly newsletter.
Sasheer Zamata: Sasheer Zamata is a comedian, actress, writer and four season cast member on Saturday Night Live. She will be appearing in the new NBC pilot So Close, and also will be featured in Amy Schumer’s new movie I Feel Pretty, which comes out in April.

Tribeca X Award

The jurors for the 2018 Tribeca X Award are:

Brian Braiker: Brian Braiker is the Editor-in-Chief of Ad Age and prior to joining the magazine was executive editor at Digiday for four years.
Bonin Bough: Bonin Bough is one of the foremost-awarded marketing executives in his field, the producer and host of The Cleveland Hustles, the author of TXT Me (646) 759-1837 and Chairman of Bonin Ventures.
Zachary Heinzerling: Zachary Heinzerling is a filmmaker based in Brooklyn, NY who directed the 2014 Oscar-Nominated Documentary feature, Cutie and the Boxer.

“American Idol” Taking Massive Downward Turn, Loses 1 Million Viewers from Last Sunday

Roger Friedman
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“American Idol” Taking Massive Downward Turn, Loses 1 Million Viewers from Last Sunday

What the heck? “American Idol” is starting to fade fast and not just when it’s up against “The Voice.”

Last night “Idol” pulled in just 6.2 million viewers. Last Sunday they had 7.2 million.

And last Monday, against “The Voice,” the former Fox show had 7.7 million. Of course “The Voice” had 2 million more.

But last night’s decline may also have contributed to lower numbers for the Comey interview. “Idol” didn’t give the sensational report a good start for Sunday night.

At that hour, 8pm, CBS scored double the number of viewers– 12 million– with the Academy of Country Music Awards.

Ratings Rave: Stephanopolous-Comey Finishes 2nd for Night to “60 Minutes,” Country Music Awards

Roger Friedman
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Ratings Rave: Stephanopolous-Comey Finishes 2nd for Night to “60 Minutes,” Country Music Awards

George Stephanopolous’s interview with former FBI director James Comey was a ratings bonanza for ABC last night.

But the 9.7 mil viewers was less than 60 Minutes and the Country Music awards last night. CBS easily took the night.

The Comey interview had 700,000 fewer viewers than “60 Minutes” had had at 7pm. Why Comey and his publisher agreed to ABC at 10pm and not “60 Minutes” at 7pm is a head scratcher.

At 10pm on CBS 11.5 million people watched the final hour of the Country Music Awards. Only 9.7 million watched Comey.

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