Monday, October 7, 2024
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Amy Schumer Talks Dirty at the Apple Store, But Waits til Child is Removed

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Amy Schumer turned up at the Apple Store in SoHo the other day for a Q&A to promote her film “Trainwreck,” directed by Judd Apatow. Schumer plays a committment-phobe Manhattan career woman who as a young girl was taught by her father (Colin Quinn) that “monogamy is bad,” so she movies quickly from one guy to the next. It was standing room only and Schumer, who is 34, talked about her onscreen character, and pointed out similarities and differences between them.

The talk gets a little raunchy, so be prepared.

Schumer, whose material often comes from a lot of real-life experiences, was asked about her best maneuver for getting out of a bad date:

“Okay, well, like this wasn’t a date,” she said, “but one time I was with this guy, who was uncircumcised…Like no offense, you guys, but I never dealt with that before. He did not give me a heads up, so – no pun intended – so I just like saw it and it wasn’t well kept. I told him, ‘And by the way, you know what? I really, I just realized I’m not over my ex-boyfriend.’ Like I just made up an excuse.”

“That night I had a complicated shirt on, and so I’m laughing because I can’t get my f–king shirt on, just getting redressed, and I was just laughing because it was such a horrible excuse…So that’s like a date right?”

She added, “I talked about it on stage at some point. Yeah, I hope he didn’t see it. He was French, so maybe he didn’t see it. I guess they don’t do that here, but I’m a Long Island Jew. Everybody’s had a bris where I’m from. Thank God!”

Where did she find the courage to be so damn funny, a young woman asked?

“Just ignorance. I don’t know, I think something’s wrong with me. I’ve always been an asshole…Thank you for your question.”

What differentiates a successful actor from one who is less successful, someone asked?

“I think the non-working actor is still playing with hope. They’ll be happy once they get work and their parents will be proud of them. Whereas, the working actor is a little less happy because their hope is gone.”

Schumer was asked about writing a character who had a lot sex and was not judged for it. But she noticed a child listening to what was about to be extremely inappropriate humor: “There’s a kid here. Do you want like maybe to wear earmuffs? I’m just recommending that to you. I don’t know where your parents are…”

Child removed, she spoke:

“With my stand up I’ll talk about sex a lot. It’s just because it’s funny, not because I’m having so much of it. I’ve mainly been in long relationships… No one’s ever come on my face. I’m just saying those things. I like broaching those subjects. People are just like, ‘Oh she’s the sex girl. She’s a whore.’ I just want to talk about it, so I think I’m really proud of what we were able to do with this movie because I think you learn a lot about someone rather than just this snap judgment. You’re like, ‘Oh, this where she’s coming from and this is what’s going on with her,’ so I hope people leave it a little less ready to judge a woman who’s sexually active outside of wedlock, or in order to conceive a child.”

From having self esteem issues, how did she turn into a bad-ass confident chick she is now a young woman asked:

“It’s a mixture of not caring anymore, you know, it’s just you just really realize that everyone hates themselves, everyone worthwhile hates themselves and understanding that we’re all having a tough time and that there’s ups and downs and I think. I also think, (back in) 2007 when I was doing Last Comic Standing and Facebook just became a thing, people were really chiming in on whether or not they would have sex with me. and it was around then. Some people you’ll totally you’re going to be their thing, you’re a fucking goddess, and then other people think you’re totally vile and said, ‘I can’t believe anyone’s ever been inside you.’ They’re both right…And sometimes it didn’t matter. It feels so good to fucking be yourself and to throw people out of your life that don’t let you be yourself.”

One person clapped.

“Thank you. That was my publicist.”

“And also realizing that the guy for me, like the guy who wants to be with a perfect girl, is not a possibility… So it’s like, this is how it’s going to be. I don’t want to be hungry. I ate several scones today and the right person will think that’s really great.”


Photo c2015 Showbiz411 by Paula Schwartz

Jennifer Lawrence: First Trailer for “Joy” Shows She’s Back in the Oscar Race

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Jeez Louise. David O. Russell has released the first trailer for “Joy.” And guess what? Jennifer Lawrence already has that Oscar look in her eye. The movie reunites Russell, Lawrence and Bradley Cooper for their third movie. This is an unbeatable team. PS Curious about the remixed version of the Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.”

Robin Thicke: No New Trial on “Blurred Lines,” It’s Still Marvin Gaye’s Song

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Robin Thicke, Pharrell, and co. wanted a new trial over the “Blurred Lines” fiasco. But a judge has ruled that’s not happening. “Blurred Lines” remains plagiarized from Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up.” Judge John A. Kronstadt of US District Court, Central California did lower the financial damages, however. Pharrell’s exposure has been downsized from $1,610,455.31 to $357,630.96.

Robin Thicke still got to give it up.

“Blurred Lines” will continue to be played on the radio and sold as a recording, but now the Gayes get “ongoing royalties.”

What a mistake it was to take this to trial. Since this happened, Thicke and his lawyers have learned their lesson. For his new single, Thicke gave equal songwriting credit to the late great Barry White because the song “Morning Sun” is underpinned by White’s trademark orchestration. It was easier than having a new, even more embarrassing trial.

New songs often infringe old ones, and then the parties usually come to an offstage agreement. For example, “The Greatest Love of All” borrowed elements from Gordon Lightfoot’s “If You Could Read My Mind.” There was a private settlement. Same with Mariah Carey’s “Emotions,” which was a re-do of The Emotions’ “Best of My Love,” by Maurice White.

 

 

 

“Trainwreck”: Brilliant Comedy Features Veteran Actor Norman Lloyd, Age 100

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I think most people know actor Norman Lloyd from his run on “St. Elsewhere” as wise Dr. Auschlander, who ran the hospital. Lloyd’s credits begin with “The Streets of New York,” from 1939, the first ever drama filmed for television. He was part of Orson Welles and John Houseman’s Mercury Theater group.

So holy moley–Norman Lloyd has a nice recurring part in Judd Apatow’s “Trainwreck,” a smash comedy that opens Friday. This is the Amy Schumer movie in which the female comic plays a young woman who drinks heavily, smokes everything, sleeps with everyone– until she meets Bill Hader, playing a sports doctor. Amy’s dad, played by Colin Quinn, lives in an assisted living facility. His pal is played by Lloyd, the oldest actor working anywhere I would guess.

“Trainwreck” is just a beautifully crafted comedy, raunchy but with a big heart. It hits the sweet spot that movies like “Bridesmaids” and “While You Were Sleeping” every so often occupy. Apatow, whose work I always enjoy (I’m a fan of “This is 40”), takes elements and themes from all his films and TV work and brings them all together here. Think “Bridget Jones” with a lot of liquor and sex, and no repentance.

There are lots of cameos, too– great basketball players Lebron James and Amare Stoudamare, Chris Evert, Marv Albert, Matthew Broderick, and so on all show up at different times. Marisa Tomei and Daniel Radcliffe appear in a movie within the movie.

In addition to all of then, Oscar winner Tilda Swinton absolutely steals the movie as the British editor of a horrid New York based magazine that sort of combines fetishistic sex and cutting edge news. It’s called Snuff. Swinton is almost unrecognizable, with long hair and her face covered in bronzer, plus an accent she told me last night she based on a friend from Essex. She is just phenomenal. Forget the Devil Wears Prada. This woman is insane and reminded me of a couple of particular magazine editors from the late 80s.

Saturday Night Live’s Vanessa Bayer, and Ezra Miller– soon to be The Flash in DC Comics movies– also do fine supporting work.

Apatow accepted congrats last at Universal’s swellegant gala at Tavern on the Green after the Lincoln Center premiere. But he did tell me, “It’s all because of Amy.” A native of Rockville Center, Long Island, Schumer brought her mother, sister, and best high school pals to the premiere. (Her parents are divorced. Her father Skyped in to watch the red carpet.)

Schumer is 34. She’s been on the comedy club circuit for a long time, and included many of her friends in the movie. She’s been on a tear all winter, doing a guest gig on “The Bachelorette” and getting ink almost every single day. Like Joan Rivers or Roseanne Barr, she is just who she presents– you can tell there is no artifice. “Trainwreck” is her real life with a twist to give it cinematic structure. She hits the same real notes as Nia Vardalos did with “My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” Watch word of mouth catapult “Trainwreck” when it opens.

As for Norman Lloyd, mazel tov. He was feted in Cannes a couple of years ago. He hasn’t made a movie since 2010, but it looks like this is his comeback. He turns 101 this fall. PS I’d love to see him on Jimmy Kimmel.

Cosby Show Actor: “Of Course Bill Cosby Is Guilty” Recalls Story of Actress Who Confided in Him

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Joseph C. Phillips played Denise’s husband on the Cosby Show. He was Cliff Huxtable’s son in law. Now in a blogpost self-published, Phillips says that he knows Cosby is guilty of the things he’s been accused of– even though Phillips himself saw nothing inappropriate.

He says he ran into an actress whom Cosby had mentored. They discussed the current allegations. The young woman then confessed to Phillips what Cosby had done to her. Here’s the portion:

I was particularly shaken the afternoon I bumped into an old friend while shopping. The controversy was at its height. The story of Bill was all over the press. I hadn’t seen this woman for many years.  Back in the day, I had asked her out on a few dates, but was relegated to the friend zone so fast it made my ears wiggle.  We had kept in touch for a few years, but our lives had taken different paths. Over the years, I had watched with a passive interest as her career grew, so I was excited to see her and catch up a bit.

As we spoke, I recalled that Bill had been her mentor (play father, teacher…something. I couldn’t quite recall what it was).  The question popped into my head.

“Hey, do you mind if I ask you something?”

She looked at me and then asked, “Is it going to make me cry?”

I was a bit taken aback. “Well,” I stammered. “I hope it doesn’t make you cry.”

She smiled. “Go ahead and ask your question.”

“Back in the day,” I started. “I remember that you knew Bill – that he was like your mentor or something. Did he ever…”

Before I finished the sentence, she began to cry.

We spent the next two hours sitting on a bench talking. Through tears, she told me her story. She cursed him for violating both her trust and her body. She cursed herself for not being smarter, and for degrading herself in pursuit of success. I listened patiently. As she began to run out of steam, she turned to me. “Do you believe me?”

“Yes.” I said. “I believe you.”

“Why?” she asked.

“Because I don’t believe that you are crazy and only a crazy person would sit with me all this time and share a fantasy.”

 

And that’s it. Also Whoopi Goldberg has finally changed her opinion of Cosby. I know it was hard for her. She admired him, like a lot of us. I respect her for defending him. Cosby’s real story is a bitter pill to swallow.

Jimmy Fallon Returns with Harrowing Story: “I Was in the ICU for Ten Days” (Video)

Jimmy Fallon is back. His story of what happened to him — Ring Avulsion– is pretty harrowing. He tripped on a rug at home, fell and almost lost his finger. He spent 10 days in the ICU, Jimmy told his audience last night.

For New Yorkers, the funnier part of the story might be that Jimmy wound up going to Bellevue. (This is usually where you go when you’ve lost your mind.) But sounds like Jimmy’s doctors at Bellevue were heroes. Bellevue is really known for excellence in trauma surgery. They came through with flying colors.

Meantime, even worse maybe, Steve Higgins got Lyme disease. The Tonight Show time off was no picnic, that’s for sure.

Janet Jackson: No Sleeep, No Sales, Little Airplay, Same Struggle as Mariah, Other Older Singers

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update: click on Janet’s name below for an update.

Janet Jackson‘s new record company may be losing sleep over her first release for BMG Records. Her new single, “No Sleeep,” got a lot of media attention when it was launched a couple of weeks ago. But so far, it’s not selling on iTunes and isn’t getting much radio play. Janet is having the same problems as Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez and other older singers who are trying to stay in the game and be relevant.

“No Sleeep” has met with indifference at radio stations. According to MediaBase, which tracks airplay, “No Sleeep” is not keeping anyone awake at but a few urban stations. The single hasn’t crossed over into pop, and hasn’t caught fire at R&B stations. This may be because it’s not extremely quiet for a summer song, and doesn’t have much of a hook. It’s just sort of a riff.

The stations that are playing it are all in B markets. So far, “No Sleeep” has had little luck in New York or Los Angeles, where singles are broken.

On iTunes, “No Sleeep” hasn’t cracked the top 150 singles. It is ranked at #70 for top pop songs of 2015 overall.

To be fair, “No Sleeep” was pushed out quickly as a signal that Janet’s new album is coming this fall. Maybe all it was supposed to be was a loss leader. The album is likely to have a lot of snappier stuff. And by then Janet will have been on tour for a week, so audiences will be more enthused.

This business of selling “mature” artists– acts who we loved in the their 20s and 30s– is tough, tough, tough and frustrating for everyone. Mariah Carey had a very good album at DefJam and then a really good single in “Infinity.” But the groundswell is hard to find after the first flush of publicity. And it’s not like Janet Jackson herself is a hard sell. Everyone loves her!

Tom Cruise’s Official Twitter Feed Blocks This Site from Following or Reading Tweets

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Who knew? So honored. Flattered, even. In the name of Xenu, I am thrilled to report that @Showbiz411 has been blocked from following or reading Tom Cruise‘s official Twitter feed for Mission Impossible 5. Viacom shareholders, please take note. It’s your $250 million movie. But I can’t follow it anymore.

Tom_Cruise_(@TomCruise)_Twitter_-_2015-07-12_22.28.00
In Australia, the press is reporting there that journalist Bryan Seymour, who writes about Scientology frequently, was banned from covering the Mission Impossible junket in advance. He never even asked; his editors were told not to send him.

This is from the Australian, one of Rupert Murdoch’s oldest papers. I wonder if Cruise has figured out that Murdoch also owns Fox and has the “Minority Report” TV show:
Tom Cruise bans journo

One of the world’s biggest movie stars has blacklisted an Aussie journalist. Paramount Pictures has told Channel Seven Bryan Seymour is the one reporter not approved to do an interview with Tom Cruise during promotions for his new Mission Impossible movie.

The film network passed on the instruction in writing during negotiations about which Seven reporter would interview Cruise. The reason Seymour has been sent to the sin-bin? His extensive coverage of Scientology.

Seymour believes any journo speaking to Cruise for movie puff-pieces should grill him about Scientology given he is the cult’s most famous follower. He suggests a few choice questions: what do you say to the female Scientologists forced to have abortions? What did you know about Scientology bugging your ex-wife ­Nicole while you were together? Why did L Ron Hubbard write in Dianetics that homosexuals are mentally ill perverts? And if top executives who have left the cult say they’re ashamed of Scientology and it’s practices, why aren’t you?

“That should start a conversation,” Seymour told Diary.

It’s doubtful any of Seven’s reporters — or any media outlets’ for that matter — would dare upset Cruise or risk ruining a relationship with Paramount by asking anything that even comes close to those questions. It’s a pity the cult of celebrity supersedes the task of exposing an actual cult.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/media/qa-abc-news-baulks-at-department-transfer-plan/story-fnab9kqj-1227439280358

Michael Masser, Towering Songwriter of “Greatest Love of All” and Many Hits, Dies at 74

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I just got the message that Michael Masser has died at age 74. What a shame. He was as big and important a songwriter as there could have been from this last generation. He wrote “The Greatest Love of All” with Linda Creed, which became Whitney Houston’s signature song. He also co-wrote “Saving All My Love for You” and “Didn’t We Have it All.” (His lyricist was Gerry Goffin, famed late half of Carole King and …)

Masser’s other hits included Diana Ross — “Touch Me in the Morning,” “Last Time I Saw Him,” and “Do You know Where You’re Going To?”
He also wrote “If Ever You’re In My Arms Again” for Peabo Bryson and had a hit on “Tonight I Celebrate My Love” for Peabo and Roberta Flack.

Clive Davis offered the following statement on the passing of Michael Masser: “Michael Masser’s wonderful melodies are memorable and hypnotic. He is and was truly an all-time great composer. The legacy of Whitney Houston will always be permanently indebted to Michael. If it weren’t for ‘The Greatest Love of All,’ ‘Saving All My Love For You,’ ‘All At Once’ and ‘Didn’t We Almost Have It All,’ Whitney’s career would not have blazed as brightly or as uniquely. Personally, I lost a great friend whom I will forever miss.”

Masser leaves a huge legacy and a big big catalog. Condolences to his family.

George Michael Says He’s Ok And Not Dying from Crack Addiction

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A careless whisper has brought Wham singer George Michael out of hiding onto Twitter. Michael Tweeted today that despite a report in the UK Press, he is not dying from crack addiction.

Michael wrote: “To my lovelies, do not believe this rubbish in the papers today by someone I don’t know anymore and haven’t seen for nearly 18 years…”

Michael added: “I am perfectly fine and enjoyed Wimbledon like the rest of you. Wish it went to 5 sets though!…”

His first Tweets in some time (just a couple recently, and then nothing for about a year) caused newly minted star Sam Smith to exchange greetings with him.

Michael’s cousin’s wife told the Sun, a UK tabloid: ‘He was smoking crack. Before he went away he was he got to the point where he would be shaking, saying, “I need it.” The paper used a picture of Jackie and her husband, George’s first cousin, from 1998. Haha.

Making money off of George Michael by selling stories to tabloids is an easy business. The singer has had numerous drug arrests, has been in and out of rehab, and is scarcely seen. He released a new album last year called “Symphonica,” but it didn’t sell too well. He toured only in Europe, and didn’t do promotion in the US.

In June, Michael’s reps denied a report from a German tabloid saying he was in a very expensive Swiss rehab clinic.