Kim Cattrall’s brother, Chris, is missing from his home in Alberta, Canada. Please spread the word– and send good thoughts to Kim. Hope he’s located safe and sound– and soon!
UPDATE: Janet Jackson Says She Won’t Be Joining Justin Timberlake at the Super Bowl
UPDATE: After I posted this story today, Janet Jackson posted a message clarifying she will NOT be at the Super Bowl.
— Janet Jackson (@JanetJackson) February 4, 2018
EXCLUSIVE The interest is buzzing and hoping for an undo of the Janet Jackson-Justin Timberlake wardrobe malfunction tomorrow.
You remember the 2004 “Nipplegate” that became endless gossip for years. The rumor was that Janet was banned from the Super Bowl (false).
But I’m told that there will be no rematch during the Patriots-Eagles halftime show tomorrow. Janet Jackson, as far as anyone knows, is in Los Angeles and has no plans to travel to Minneapolis.
Indeed, a JJ appearance during Timberlake’s set would be so crazily diverting from the actual game that they’d have to stop play altogether.
No, it’s probably best to let the whole thing slide. Maybe Janet will turn up in a taped piece, but I doubt it. Better to let sleeping dogs lie.
Meantime, we’ll see if Timberlake– who has the number 1 album released on Friday– can top Lady Gaga’s sales tsunami from last year. Gaga’s Super Bowl appearance was so spectacular that her entire record catalog went soaring in sales immediately after. The show revived her “Joanne” album and its single “Million Reasons.” So hold on– we’ll see if “Can’t Stop the Feeling” comes roaring back onto the charts. Betcha it will.
Lady Gaga Cancels Balance of European Tour Because of Chronic Pain: If Only Tom Petty Done the Same
Lady Gaga has canceled the balance of her European tour because of chronic pain. She should be applauded for doing this. We recently learned Tom Petty died because he was in chronic pain from a fractured hip but played 52 dates on extreme pain killers. Stefani Germanotta should be applauded for being honest and saying no more. The fans will understand and she’ll be back one day.
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) February 3, 2018
Aaron Sorkin Joking on WGAW Panel: “There are scenes I wrote in The Social Network…I still don’t understand”
The WGAW, Writers Guild of America, West held their annual Beyond Words panel at the WGA Thursday night in Beverly Hills. All thirteen quippy, clever, witty writers are WGA nominated and some are Oscar nominated. The panel was moderated adeptly by “The Imitation Game’s” Graham Moore.
“The Shape Of Water’s” Guillermo Del Toro got the panel going by saying, “You have to know where you can secure the most freedom.” What stories call on him to do the most? “The one you feel that you’re choking to death if you don’t do it.”
“Lady Bird’s” Greta Gerwig unintentionally started the Aaron Sorkin (“Molly’s Game,”) running joke throughout the night. Greta explained that, “Writing is interior for me. I read a quote once that writing is like driving a car in the dark with the headlights on, but you get where you want to go.”
Aaron then said to no one on particular as he started to laugh, “I said that and I also feel old as hell now.” Sorkin then went on to explain a strategy he uses. “It helps to have a secret. William Goldman, who wrote “Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid,” talked about that. He went to the library often while doing research and he found out that Butch couldn’t swim. So his thing was ‘get him to the cliff, get him to the cliff,’ that’s the secret that drives you.” Sorkin also added that writing is not easy for him. “I spend months to what the untrained eye might look like lying on my couch watching ESPN. Most days I spend not writing, and those days are just hard.”
“Get Out’s” Peele noted his mantra is to “follow the fun,” although he admitted that occassionally on the set, “I got the point where I got very vulnerable then I ended the day in tears.”
“The Big Sick’s” Kumail Nanjiani kept the Sorkin joke throughout the night. When asked what was his mantra, Nanjiani quipped, “Well, the great Aaron Sorkin said once, write what you know.” which had the crowd in laughter since it’s a well-known Mark Twain quote. After Sorkin stopped laughing he added, “actually that’s bullshit. There are scenes I wrote for “The Social Network,” and “Jobs” that I still don’t understand.
Peele then had the panel and audience going when he was asked what inspired him. “ A quote from the bible helped me a lot.” He was just about to finish the sentence when Kumail jumped in. “Did Aaron Sorkin write that too? To which Peele retorted, “You fucker, you stepped on my punch line.”
“Logan’s” James Mangold talked about how he hates to employ tricks and cutesy gimmicks, like outtakes at the end of a film. “I never want to make a CGI fuckathon.”
“I, Tonya’s” Steven Rodgers added, “it’s always what’s the point of it? What do you want to say”? It’s always about the theme.” Peele then explained why he purposely used humor in his film. “My goal was to try to get to every single person in the audience. The premise was so divisive. Putting audiences through 90 minutes of racial awkwardness is a lot to ask so I needed the escape valve.”
Does structure matter? Del Toro doesn’t do it. “It’s the difference between being a traveler and a tourist. I’m the traveller.” He’s also careful about asking too many people for their advice. “In this business, if you ask for an opinion you’ll get one. “ He added, “Am I going to appease or awake the audience?”
The other talented writers on the panel were Vanessa Taylor for “The Shape of Water,” Michael Green for “Logan,” Michael H. Weber and Scott Neustadter for “The Disaster Artist,” Emily V. Gordon for “The Big Sick and “Mudbound’s” Virgil Williams. The event was presented by WGA West, the Writers Guild Foundation in partnership with Variety.
photo by Leah Sydney
Rose McGowan Cancels Public Appearance for Her New Book After Verbal Assault at Reading: “I have given enough. I have given beauty”
That’s it for Rose McGowan. She’s canceled public appearances for her book “Brave” after a verbal assault from a heckler at the Barnes & Noble in Union Square. McGowan is brave, she went into this as a warrior. But she’s also polarizing. Her talk show appearance should be preceded with a warning like BRACE YOURSELF. She reminds me of Courtney Love in the bad old days. “Brave,” meantime, isn’t selling like hot cakes, more like cold latkes. Her E! show “Citizen Rose,” scored fewer than 200,000 viewers on Sunday. Now she’s going to come off the road. And, of course, she and Ronan Farrow are teasing about another sexual abuser who’s “high powered.” Hey, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. More and more this reminds me of the Ellen James Society from “The World According to Garp.”
I am canceling upcoming public appearances because I have given enough. I have given beauty, in return I was VERBALLY ASSAULTED for two full minutes @BNBuzz by an actor paid to verbally assault a woman who has been terrorized by your system. And no ONE in that room did anything
— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) February 2, 2018
And everyone from my publicists, t assistants, managers and every person sitting in their chairs frozen by their weakness, a weakness called COMPLICITY. The truth is you all failed me. Again. And again. And again.
— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) February 2, 2018
I would like an apology from the manager of the Union Square @BNUnionSquareNY and all security people, and the audience, who did nothing and let the paid verbal assault of an assaulted woman happen. Cool?
— rose mcgowan (@rosemcgowan) February 2, 2018
RIP Dennis Edwards of the Temptations, Had a Massive Solo Hit with “Don’t Look Any Further”
The great R&B singer Dennis Edwards has died at age 74, two days short of his 75th birthday. A deep baritone with glossy highs, Edwards was a leader of the Tempations circa 1969-70 and had a lot of hits with them including “Shakey Ground,” “Papa was a Rolling Stone,” “Cloud Nine,” “Ball of Confusion,” “Psychedelic Shack,” and “I Can’t Get Next to You.” Edwards replaced lead singer David Ruffin. His period guiding the Temps was a hugely important one.
Edwards left the Temptations and went out on his own with Motown in the mid 70s. He had a massive hit in 1984, “Don’t Look Any Further,” featuring Siedah Garrett, that is still played almost as much as his Temps hits. Edwards was inducted with the Temps into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
Almost two years ago, Dennis performed as a surprise for Aretha Franklin at her 74th birthday party in New York at the Ritz Carlton. He was one of her favorite all time singers, and long time friend. Edwards leaves a daughter from a brief marriage to Ruth Pointer of the Pointer Sisters.
RIP a great singer and a great hit
Dennis sang lead on the Temps seminal hit “Shakey Ground” (see him at 00:43)
He also led them into this gigantic number 1 “Papa was A Rolling Stone.” Fans were used to the the original sound of the Temps driven a lot by Smokey Robinson songs (separate from the Miracles). Edwards commanded this funk driven era from producer Norman Whitfield. The Temps are over all the best R&B group in history simply because they had such huge range over a long span.
Gossip Great Liz Smith’s Main Instructions for Her Standing Room Only Memorial: “Book a Shubert Theater!”
Gossip queen Liz Smith did not want a memorial service, said friend Cynthia McFadden today at Liz’s memorial service. But shortly before she died, Liz left a folder on the couch near she usually sat and made calls. “Exit,” the folder read, “Ta-da!”
Smith had left a list of things to do. At the top, McFadden said, “Book a Shubert Theater.” And so the Majestic was booked today on what would have been Liz’s 95th birthday. The stars and A list New Yorkers came in droves: Tommy Tune performed “The Way You Look Tonight,” a song he said Liz had asked him to perform at her funeral may 60 years ago.
Speakers included Lesley Stahl, Barry Diller, actress Holland Taylor, Renee Zellweger, Bruce Willis, writer and columnist Billy Norwich, niece Karen Williamson, 19 year old godson Spencer McFadden (son of McFadden and Jim Hoge) literary agent Joni Evans.
In the house: Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue, Rex Reed, Kathleen Turner, Griffin Dunne, Sarah Paulson, Cynthia Nixon, F. Murray Abraham, author Hannah Pakula (widow of Oscar winning director Alan Pakula), Iris Love, Bob Balaban and wife Lynn Balaban, “Call Me By Your Name” producer Howard Rosenman, Peggy Siegal, Ruth Friendly (widow of broadcaster Fred Friendly),famed writers Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark, and, of course, Liz’s office family, Denis Ferrara and Mary Jo McDonough. (Liz’s actual family was there, too, many drawling Texans).
In heaven: Nora Ephron, Mike Nichols, Elaine Stritch, Elaine Kaufman, Elizabeth Taylor, Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, Jackie Kennedy.
Uptown, in bed: Barbara Walters, who let’s decide was sending good thoughts.
Diller talked about sharing a birthday with Liz and with Elaine Stritch, going to the ’21’ Club but departing for the Three Guys Diner after Stritch announced: “This place is a dump!”
Lesley Stahl read Liz’s bio from their Wowowow.com website: “Favorite foods in order of importance, which Liz wrote out herself–chicken fried steak, Campbells’s Tomato Soup, cream gravy, Lay’s potato chips, peanut brittle, caviar, foie gras.” Stahl also pointed out that that Liz, a voracious reader and a closet intellectual. had raised $6 million for Literacy Partners among her many charities.
Joni Evans told the story of her 25 year crusade to get Liz to write her memoir. The first advance, returned, was $10K for $100K. Then Joni got her a $200K advance. Liz wound up sending the money back. “She said, Joni, honey I’m never going to write that book!” Finally, Evans became a literary agent and got Liz a solid offer for $1 million. She called Liz and told her. “She didn’t hesitate. She said, Don’t tell me you turned it down!”
Kudos to Renee Zellweger, who looked great and spoke with a lot of love about her email penpalship with Liz. And Bruce Willis, a bit subdued, who teared up remembering the plugs Liz gave him when she started out in theater and on “Moonlighting.”
It seemed like everyone in the theater went across the street and stuffed themselves into the 4th floor dining room at Sardi’s. There were more laughs and toasts. On the red and white invite McFadden placed Liz’s famous quote: “Gossip is just news running ahead of itself in a red satin dress.” But my favorite quote of Liz’s is one she told me right before taking a summer break in 2016: “Honey, I’m going to come back as a margharita!”
There would be so many fewer people in showbiz and writing about showbiz without Liz Smith, myself very much included. Lesley Stahl wasn’t the only today to remark that Liz was “nice.” Mike Wallace, her old friend, said it on “60 Minutes.” Her incredible run as the premier gossip columnist was only possible because she saw the big picture. She was nice. She cultivated celebrity and had a long fuse. She didn’t rush to judgment. She listened. I can only hope I’ve learned to apply a few of those attributes. Thank you, Lizzie, for everything.
Justin Timberlake Release “Man of the Woods” Shoots to Number 1 on Eve of Super Bowl Performance
Justin Timberlake is number 1. And that’s just on the iTunes album chart. He’s also got six tracks on the singles charts this morning including his 2016 hit “Can’t Stop the Feeling.”
The album is “Man of the Woods” and the singles all come from it. Frankly, there could be more singles from the album hitting the chart today. Timberlake had already released three of them and “Say Something” with Chris Stapleton is number 1. A very Sly Stone-influenced “Morning Light” featuring Alicia Keys is also up there.
There are some other lovely tracks on this very 70s influenced R&B funk album that is mostly written and produced with Pharrell Williams and his Neptunes. “Higher Higher” is a a mini-masterwork. “Breeze on the Pond” floats like one. “Wave” sets a billowing, joyous tone.
Justin, Pharrell and their pal Timbaland are still heavily influenced by Michael Jackson, Earth Wind & Fire, and groups like Tower of Power and the Ohio Players. But they’re not sampling, they’re making their own sounds, and some of Pharrell’s work with Timberlake on this album rises to the level of Quincy Jones’s work on “Thriller” and “Bad.” These younger guys have hit the groove, it all feels spontaneous.
Not everything about “Man of the Woods” is perfect. I don’t get the title or the art or the original marketing. This is not an album of the woods, it’s of the city even if Memphis or Nashville is the city. Adding Chris Stapleton was just the right move, but remember Stapleton (though a friend calls him “Grizzly Adams”) has put his own funk into country.
Timberlake comes from Memphis, and the sound there is undeniable. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t make a record with Boo Mitchell at Royal Studios one day. Once you’ve been to that town, you’re done. Funny that Elvis, whose Graceland is so associated there, is not the real sound. Elvis borrowed the sound for his records. Timberlake and Pharrell have done the same thing. Unlike Justin Bieber’s last fake R&B record, “Man of the Woods” is the real deal.
Something else I’d like to see– a Timberlake/Pharrell/Childish Gambino mix up. But that would be asking for too much.
Just remember, as Justin says: “Success is cool, money is fine, but you’re special.”
Let’s get this on the radio ASAP:
Sony CEO Kaz Hirai Stepping Down as Movie, Record Companies Fade in Comparison to Tech, Gaming
Kaz Hirai, CEO of Sony, is stepping down. Or stepping up, He’s being kicked upstairs and replaced by Kenichiro Yoshida on April. Hirai took over from Sir Howard Stringer in 2012.
Sony’s profits are up, but it’s from motion pictures or the record company. Under Hirai, Sony managed its computer chip into every single cell phone. They also became the leader in gaming with consoles, etc. It’s not a world you or I are in, but kids remain obsessed with it.
What hasn’t worked is movies or records. Sony Music right now has one album in the top 50, by Camila Cabella. How they’re surviving with hit records is a mystery. But it’s been a long drought.
On the movie side, Sony Pictures had one movie among the top 20 earners in 2017– “Spider Man: Homecoming,” which didn’t even crack $1 billion worldwide. It made $888 million. They had some prestige films, and Oscar nods, but no other big money maker. This will also the mark the first time that Sony doesn’t distribute the James Bond film coming at Christmas time. And that’s a huge blow.
Kaz– who has been with Sony in various capacities since 1984– is smart to accept the change and move now. He’ll be missed, however.
UPDATE L.A. Sheriff Says of Natalie Wood-Robert Wagner: “Do we have enough to make an arrest at this moment? No.”
The LA Sheriff’s Department weighed in tonight on the 1981 death of Natalie Wood after CBS’s “48 Hours” claimed Robert Wagner was suddenly “a person of interest.”
All of a sudden new witnesses have turned up– 37 years later. Really? Where were they before? How good are their memories? A good defense lawyer could drive a monster truck through some of this stuff.
LASD says: “Do we have enough to make an arrest at this moment? No. This remains a suspicious death investigation. However, as LASD Homicide Detectives, we know that even the most difficult cases can be solved when witnesses come forward. “
Yes, we do know that. We also know that Lana Wood, Natalie’s sister, hates Robert Wagner. Last year she went on a tabloid screed against him. Is she somehow involved in this? We don’t know.
Wagner has not only maintained his innocence, but written about it and has been interviewed extensively. I interviewed him around 2004, we talked about Natalie and her death. We sat nose to nost at lunch. RJ Wagner is a good actor but he doesn’t have an Oscar. If he’s been lying all these years, he is our greatest thespian.
CBS is the Tiffany network when it comes to politics. But tabloid material is not their thing. Right now, Burke Ramsay, brother of the late Jon-Benet Ramsay, is suing them for $750 million. In 2016, CBS ran a documentary series claiming Burke killed his sister in 1996. I watched it, it was pretty convincing. (CBS says the doc never actually blamed Burke. But it seemed pretty clear to me.) So this is not “60 Minutes.” Or the CBS Evening News. I’d take it all with a box of Morton’s salt.
Here is the whole statement from LASD. Again, suddenly there are new witnesses with sharp memories of 1981? Not colored by time, other gossip, and so on?
LASD Homicide Statement February 1, 2018
Following the 2011 press conference by LASD Homicide Detectives, the bureau received more than 100 tips and we followed up on every single one. This resulted in several new witness statements and information more than 30 years after the drowning death of Natalie Wood.
For the first time, we have witness statements that portray a new sequence of events on the boat that night.
For example:
A witness provided details about hearing yelling and crashing sounds coming from the couple’s stateroom.
Shortly afterwards, separate witnesses identified a man and a woman arguing on the back of the boat. The witnesses believed that the voices belonged to Natalie Wood and Robert Wagner.
As you may recall, Natalie Wood was later reported missing from the boat. The statements from these new witnesses differ from the original version of events as related by previous witnesses, including the individuals on the boat.
Do we have enough to make an arrest at this moment? No. This remains a suspicious death investigation. However, as LASD Homicide Detectives, we know that even the most difficult cases can be solved when witnesses come forward.
We ask that anyone with first-hand knowledge or any information about the death of Natalie Wood to call the LASD Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.