Monday, October 14, 2024
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Elton John-Leon Russell Show: The Bitch is Really Back

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Unofficially, I’ve seen Elton John play in small spaces over the years. But that was always for charity. A real Elton John show is at Madison Square Garden. He’s dancing across grand pianos dressed as the Statue of Liberty in platform shoes.

Not so last night, or tonight: Sir Elton has moved into the smallish Beacon Theatre on upper Broadway with an all star band and his hero, Leon Russell. And last night (there’s a second show, a little different, this evening) Elton put more guts and soul into the whole deal than any kid half his age.

It was quite  a night as Sir Elton and Leon played their entire new album, “The Union,” straight through–14 new songs in a row, from the single “If It Wasn’t for Bad” through “In the Hands of Angels.” That took nerve, since they’d never played the songs live before. But it worked, and many of them got standing ovations. The standouts on this insanely good record, done live, are “Hey Ahab” and “Monkey Suit.” But even some of the ballads got to shine, like “When Love is Dying.”

Russell was at his best on his rockin’ rave “Hearts Have Turned to Stone.” He didn’t speak during the show. And when the last track from the new album was completed, Russell–who’s only five years older than Elton but seems like he’s visiting from a different solar system–vanished. Luckily, he’d played a few of his hits–“A Song for You,” “Delta Lady,” “Stranger in a Strange Land”–earlier to warm up the crowd.

Sir Elton took over, and finished off the show with bravura performances of his best songs. He concentrated on his early releases to commemorate his 40th anniversary. “Your Song,” his first hit single, sounded fresher than almost anything on top 40 radio now. “Levon” remains his  enigmatic anthem. (Who the hell was Alvin Tostig, anyway?)

It was nicely counterpointed that Cameron Crowe was directing the show live for Fuse TV since he made “Tiny Dancer” new again by featuring it in “Almost Famous” as a singalong. After a lot of serious stuff– “Take Me to the Pilot,” “Ballad of a Young Gun” — Sir Elton ended the show with “The Bitch is Back.”  It was the right choice; there was a party going on at the Beacon, and he was its host.

Encore: Russell, who looked like he might have taken a nap during his absence. “We didn’t rehearse an encore,” Elton said, so the two men, facing each other at shiny black grand pianos, re-did “Hey Ahab.” Fun, but really: how hard is to improvise on “Honky Cat”?

PS: Leon Russell’s signed a deal with EMI to reissue his entire catalog. They’re starting with an all new greatest hits collection that will include, hopefully, his tracks from “The Concert for Bangla Desh” and “Mad Dogs and Englishmen.”

Mad Men Season 4 Finale: Don Draper’s Rules of Engagement

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“Mad Men” rolled to a close on Sunday night, but I was at a family wedding in San Juan, Puerto Rico (congrats to cousin Alan and his beautiful bride, Cristina). So now, back in the real world, I’ve plunked down my $2.99 on ITunes to see what happened to the last people I follow on TV.

Yes, the engagement of Don and secretary Megan is the shock of the episode. But it was so set up so well: the firing of Carla made it necessary for Don to bring her along. Dr. Faye was certainly not the right choice. And Megan won by proximity. She’s young (relative to Don, she’s 14 years his junior). She’s unfettered by life. Unlike Betty, she’s light as air. Will she make it down the aisle? I doubt Matthew Weiner totally knows the answer to that question, but my guess is: yes.

Will Don’s secrets affect her? Will Dr. Faye do something terrible and rat Don out? Weiner has left this as a sword of Damocles, which is a good idea. “The secret” remains Weiner’s only plot gimmick. Someone out there must lay in wait for Don Draper. Maybe it’s Faye. In the meantime, taking the kids to Anna Draper’s house was a brave, brave move that signaled Don was actually looking for closure.

Favorite scene: Peggy and Joan discussing Don’s plans, followed by Joan’s phone call to the husband. So she didn’t have the abortion. It’s Roger Sterling’s kid. Talk about laying out the next season. And Peggy: Elizabeth Moss will regain her Best Actress status with this season, and this episode was one of her best. Peggy and Don’s close relationship was solidified this year.

And then there’s Betty, firing Carla, acting crazy. She finally gets the big modern house in Rye, a step up from Ossining and closer to New York by miles. Henry does seem to be catching on, however. And the kids now love Megan.

“Tomorrowland” also had a couple of TV references. That odd looking model was named Carolyn Jones “like Morticia.” Also Megan’s friend had been on “Hogan’s Heroes.”

Best lines of the show: Roger to Don: “Did you get ‘cancer’?” and Henry Francis: “There are no fresh starts, Life just carries on.”

The episode ended with “I Got You Babe,” used maybe in its first ironic context. Don has Megan, Betty has the American dream, and none of it really works. The question is, where does Matt Weiner pick up the next season? Will he skip through the rest of 1965? The next really cool year is 1967– “Sgt. Pepper” and the world in turmoil. One more season after that could end after the Nixon election in November 1968. But for now, “Mad Men” stands alone as the best thing on TV, broadcast or cable.

Nile Rodgers “Family” Affair; Memphis Star for R&B Great

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NIle Rodgers, the man behind Chic, is on the ballot for the Songwriters Hall of Fame this year. Like Leon Russell, I think he will get in. You can’t go anywhere in the world for ten minutes without hearing Nile’s hits include “We Are Family,” “Le Freak,” and “Good Times.”

Next week, October 26th, Nile and his partner Nancy Hunt throw their annual “We Are Family Foundation” benefit. The couple started WAFF right after 9-11. Within two weeks they’d put together a big singalong of “We Are Family” with Patti Labelle, Diana Ross, Phoebe Snow, and a gazillion stars.

Now the We Are Family Foundation is a certified hit, sponsoring tolerance courses and building schools in Africa. They’ve even produced a movie called “Striking a Chord,” about music therapy and education, featured at the Hamptons Film Festival.

On the 26th, they’re honoring Jackson Browne. (Hey Jackson: some of us would like to hear “Here Come Those Tears Again.” Hint, hint.) He’s performing, as are Chic and Patti Austin. If there are tickets still available, check out http://www.wearefamilyfoundation.org

PS Nile tells me that a big box set of Chic rare cuts and unreleased tracks hits stores on October 25th.

…MEANWHILE IN MEMPHIS…

Big news from my favorite city other than New York: Marvell Thomas, the famed keyboardist, is getting a “note” on the Memphis Walk of Fame. (It’s like a star, only better!) Marvell is from the dynastic Memphis family of legendary Rufus Thomas (“Walking the Dog”). His sisters are the famed Carla Thomas (“Gee Whiz,” “B-A-B-Y Baby)” and Vaneese Thomas. Marvell, who is not that old, played keyboards on almost every classic Stax hit. He’s still playing, and is also a Grammy “governor.” The ceremony takes place February 19th, 2011. Sweet! PS None of the Thomases are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame… About a dozen brass notes are installed during the year. Also on the list for 2011-2012 are our old pal, William Bell (“You Don’t Miss Your Water”), Koko Taylor, and Maurice and Verdine White of Earth, Wind & Fire…

James Franco’s Short Story Collection: Good Reviews on Pub Day

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James Franco should be happy today.

His collection of short stories, called “Palo Alto,” is published officially today by Scribner/Simon & Schuster. And guess what? It’s gotten pretty good reviews.

While some reviewers have taken swipes–who can’t resist taking a swing at a movie star/PhD candidate/aspiring writer?–most have concentrated on Franco’s writing and the stories themselves.

Some samples: USA Today: “Franco writes with such deep empathy and affinity that one has to wonder if he lived this life.”
New York Times Book Review: “[Franco] ends up perfectly mirroring the undulations of a teenage mind… Franco has a talent for viscerally evoking danger.”

Salon.com: “You’ll be able to pick out Franco’s influences: Raymond Carver’s tight-lipped stoicism; the sun-streaked disaffection of  Less Than Zero… Hubert Selby Jr.’s Last Exit to Brooklyn…. Franco can be a wag when he permits himself, and he excels at dialogue.”

Vogue.com: “Delightfully coarse, riffing dialogue that hones in on subjects like race and sex, love and violence… Compelling and gutsy.”

SFWeekly.com: “[Franco] can indeed write… He shows surprising talent… Franco is working the same nihilistic territory as writers like Bret Easton Ellis or filmmakers like Larry Clark.”

Franco also got very good reviews from Kirkus, Booklist and the trade reviewers. Who didn’t like it? The San Francisco Chronicle and the New York Press, so far. (I didn’t even know the New York Press still published.)

Tomorrow night, Franco reads aloud from “Palo Alto” at the Barnes & Noble on Warren Street at 8pm. I’d say, get there early.

Alec Baldwin Now Known as Mr. Philanthropy

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Alec Baldwin’s joining a hot list next February as the big deal honoree of the Museum of the Moving Image.

Past honorees include Robert DeNiro, Tom Hanks, Ben Stiller, Clint Eastwood, Ron Howard, and a raft of other big names. (The weirdest night ever was Tom Cruise’s “roast.” No one’s ever forgotten it. )

Baldwin has become quite the proper citizen lately in these parts. He started his own private foundation three years ago and began giving away money — much in contrast to his curmudgeonly “30 Rock” character, Jack Donaghy.

All told in 2009 Baldwin passed out nearly $1.7 million. One million of that went to New York University. The rest was divided up among many arts organizations and dozens of groups in the Hamptons ($40,000 to local libraries alone). The Hamptons Film Festival alone, at which Baldwin was ubiquitous this year, received a whopping $25,000.

There were also $50,000 donations to the New York Philharmonic, the Hudson River Waterkeeper fund, and New York City public radio station WNYC.

He also gave away about $1.1 million over the previous two years to other groups.

So “30 Rock” has really paid off, and everyone’s been the better for it!

In 2009, Alex did send the Museum of the Moving Image $25,000. There’s no quid pro quo, however. Even if he hadn’t made the donation, Baldwin is certainly the right candidate for an award. Aside from all his awards for “30 Rock,” he also has a nice film resume — from “The Departed” and “It’s Complicated” to “Married to the Mob” and “Working Girl.” And don’t forget: There’s also “Knots Landing” and “The Doctors.” The clip reel is worth the price of admission.

Oscar Sleeper Brings Celeb Assistants to Screening

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You could just about read the thought balloons last night at a private screening of Nigel Cole‘s “Made in Dagenham.”

The film — about a famous 1968 strike at a UK sewing machine plant– is getting a lot of Oscar buzz. The women of the Ford Dagenham plant went on strike for equal pay and against sexual discrimination. Sally Hawkins is on just about everyone’s short list for the Best Actress race– as tipped in Toronto a couple of weeks ago when Sony Pictures Classics Michael Barker hosted a hot dinner party for her at the film fest.

But last night Peggy Siegal got the great idea of having an assistant’s screening–get all the lieutenants from the A list to come over, have dinner, and see the film. Let’s hope there’s no insurgencies today. The bosses who sent over their right arms included Donald Trump, Tom Brokaw, Dick Ebersol, David Boies, George Soros, Norm Pearlstine, Susan and Alan Patricof, Erica Jong, Caroline Kennedy and Ed Schlossberg, real estate magnate Charles Cohen, and financiers Stan Shuman, Henry Kravis, and Donald Marron.

If the world stops this afternoon, we’ll know why. It will be two or three dozen A list assistants carrying placards on Park Avenue.

Watch out for “Made in Dagenham.” Sony Pictures Classics is coming on strong. They’ve already started sending out DVD screeners on their Woody Allen film, “You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger” and a couple more. I hope their Stephen Frears movie, “Tamara Drewe,” gets the same push. It’s one of the best films of the fall–and funny and sexy.

Michael Jackson Album of New Songs In Limbo

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That album of Michael Jackson‘s unreleased material?

I’ll tell you what: it’s in limbo.

Later this week we may get a sharper picture of what’s going on. But this much I’ve surmised from talks with various sources.

The best material available really comes from those sessions with Eddie Cascio in New Jersey circa summer 2007. Some of the songs were already written by Eddie’s brother Frank Cascio and recorded as demos with a local singer named Bobby Ewing. Michael put his vocals on them during that time he stayed with the Cascios in New Jersey.

At first there was a lot of skepticism about the tracks. I’m told that co-executor John McClain questioned whether the vocals were really Michael’s, or faked. But they are Michael’s. And they will be needed to round out the selections.

Teddy Riley and a couple of other producers have worked to fix up the Cascio tracks for release.

McClain was also working on tracks. It’s unclear how these have gone. I’m told, not so well. Many of them are outtakes from “Invincible,” an album that wasn’t so good in the first place. And no one’s bothered to approach Michael’s engineer, Bruce Swedien, about tracks from “Thriller” or “Bad” he might have in his archives.

There’s truly confusion now in the inner circle about how to proceed. Sony is waiting for delivery but there’s no album art or concept.

As for a cover: I am told McClain commissioned one a la “Sgt. Pepper” with a montage of drawings or caricatures of people in Michael’s life whom he admired. Funny: several lawyers were jammed in among Martin Luther King and Marvin Gaye. McClain’s picture, sources say, was larger than most of the others.

Needless to say, that’s been scrapped.

Elton John AIDS Dinner: Anderson Cooper Lunch Goes for $60K

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It looks like Dreamworks founder Jeffrey Katzenberg is going to have a lively lunch with Anderson Cooper.

Katzenberg spent $60,000 to dine with Cooper at Elton John’s annual AIDS Foundation dinner in New York.

Before the auction Cooper joked that the winner of the date wouldn’t get much “action” on a first date.

The crowd at Cipriani Wall Street–decked out in jewels and black tie–loved the joking around. They raised millions more for the charity. In the crowd were David Furnish, who puts the whole thing together and is quite amazing; Joanne Woodward; Tony Bennett; Hugh Jackman and wife Debra Lee Furness; Clive Davis; Nikki Haskell; “Gossip Girl” star Matthew Settle; Lorraine Bracco; Kevin Zegers; director Baz Luhrmann and costume designer wife Catherine Martin; Donna Karan; Bill and Tani Austin of the Starkey Hearing Foundation; and lots of well heeled fans who came to hear Elton put on a 45 minute solo acoustic set on piano with Leon Russell as a guest star.

And they got what they wanted: Elton dedicated “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” to the legendary Woodward, who he said he’d never met but always admired. The rest of the set was vintage Elton. He rocked the gigantic marble former bank with: “Sixty Years On” and “The Greatest Discovery” from his debut album–40th anniversary next month. “It feels like 40 minutes,” Elton said. And then: “Levon,” “Tiny Dancer,” “Philadelphia Freedom.” He played “When Love Is Dying,” an instant classic from the new album. All on piano, by himself, simply spectacular.

Then Sir Elton introduced Russell, calling him “my hero” and “my idol.” Russell sat down at the piano and played a little bit of “Amazing Grace,” and then a full version of the most celebrated song he’s written, “A Song For You.” Russell’s white hair is like spun silk or cotton candy.  It seemed electrified and flew around a bit in the light. Leon Russell has never been so appreciated.

Last night, as tonight at the Beacon Theater, Cameron Crowe is filming for some kind of documentary. And tonight’s show, with Elton and Leon debuting their extraordinary album, “The Union,” is going to be the hottest ticket anywhere.

Jon Hamm Movie “Friends with Kids” Tipped Here in August!

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http://tinyurl.com/2dw54ej

Well, well.

Lots of “exclusives” today about the Jon Hamm-Jennifer Westfeldt movie, “Friends with Kids.”

The couple told me all about it, yes–exclusively–on August 29th, the night of the Emmy Awards. It was printed above the next day.

At the time the couple–Westfeldt wrote and will direct–had Kristen Wiig signed. They were hoping for Anne Hathaway. Sadly, it didn’t work out. And the role went to Megan Fox.

Adam Scott, who’s always good in everything, will round out the equation of two couples.

Mike Nichols is producing, and John Sloss of Cinetic is behind it all.

This “exclusive” business is getting tiresome. Since none of the people who claim it actually have it!


Keith Richards: Sex, Drugs, and How I Wrote the Songs

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We may have to re-title Keith Richards’ autobiography, now called “Life.”

It should be called “You’ll Never Rock in this Town Again.”

After reading the excerpts in Rolling Stone and the Times of London, it’s pretty clear he’s left no Stone unturned.

Richards (with collaborator James Fox) has named every name and told every story. There isn’t a person who isn’t spared, a nasty trait or memory that hasn’t been remembered.

For a who guy did massive amounts of drugs for over four decades, Richards has startlingly clear recall.

Already in the press is his evaluation of Mick Jagger as a deficient lover with his, er, small equipment.

But Jagger will be angrier no doubt at Richards’ descriptions of composing the Rolling Stones catalog of songs. Most of them–maybe all with a couple of exceptions–are credited “Jagger-Richards.”

But in the excerpt that’s been released, Keith begins an anecdote with “I wrote Gimme Shelter on a stormy day, sitting in Robert Fraser’s apartment in Mount Street.”

That’s just one of the instances when Keith, whose solo albums, let’s face it, have eclipsed Jagger’s most shockingly, takes credit for authorship.

And then there’s the sex. He smartly refers to the Rolling Stones’ seminal era of partying, circa 1967, as “Peyton Place.” Let’s see if we can get this straight. Keith more or less steals beautiful Anita Pallenberg from bandmate Brian Jones. She also goes on to sleep with Mick. Simultaneously, Keith has a one-off with Mick’s girl, Marianne Faithfull.

Keith is just merciless about Mick, as you’ll see (here’s the full quote):

But, you know, while you were doing that, I was knocking Marianne, man. While you’re missing it, I’m kissing it. In fact, I had to leave the premises rather abruptly when the cat came back. Hey, it was our only time, hot and sweaty. We were just there in, as Mick calls it in Let Me Down Slow, the afterglow, my head nestled between those two beautiful jugs. And we heard his car drive up, and there was a big flurry, and I did one out the window, got my shoes, out the window through the garden, and I realised I’d left my socks. Well, he’s not the sort of guy to look for socks. Marianne and I still have this joke. She sends me messages: “I still can’t find your socks.”
Anita’s a gambler. But a gambler sometimes makes the wrong bets. The idea of status quo to Anita, in those days, was verboten. Everything must change. And we’re not married, we’re free, whatever. You’re free as long as you let me know what’s going on. Anyway, she had no fun with the tiny todger. I know he’s got an enormous pair of balls, but it doesn’t quite fill the gap, does it? It didn’t surprise me. In a way I kind of expected it. ”

Keith and Anita went on to have three kids together. One died in fancy; two are now adults. (Thanks to sharp-eyed readers for the correction!) Let’s hope everyone has a good sense of humor because with the exception of Brian Jones, they are still alive and very much kicking.