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Bret Michaels: Is the Media Ignoring Good News on Purpose?

Roger Friedman
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Bret Michaels: Is the Media Ignoring Good News on Purpose?

Bret Michaels is going to recover from his brain hemorrhage. But the media doesn’t seem much interested.

I am told by a source that Michaels will recover, that the recovery will take a few months and involve rehabilitation. He is not having seizures. He is not dying. He is not dead. He did not have surgery yesterday to relieve pressure on his brain.

These are the stories, however, that are getting attention. Reuters carried the right news last night, but no one picked it up. Instead, most of the searches about Michael turn up news that he’s critical and in peril.

“Because he went straight to the hospital, Bret got the proper treatment quickly,” says an insider.

Will he make it to the final episode of “Celebrity Apprentice” on May 23rd? It seems unlikely, but you never know. Don’t discount a last minute showing. Think of the drama!

Michaels’ doctors will hold some kind of press conference on Monday. Until then, it’s going to be radio out. Recovery and tests. Anything else is just designed to get publicity and attention for the sources.

“Enron” Pulls In Mr. Big, Stars to Broadway

Roger Friedman
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“Enron” Pulls In Mr. Big, Stars to Broadway

The Broadway awards season is almost done, with the Tony Awards deadline looming on Friday. The Outer Critics Circle issued its list of nominees on Monday, and made mostly good selections. The OCC covers both Broadway and off Broadway, so some slots were filled by people who won’t be at the Tony’s. The OCC didn’t pick Alfred Molina from “Red” for their Best Actor list, but he’ll turn up later. They did like Jude Law‘s excellent Hamlet, and reached back to Jan Maxwell‘s memorable star turn in “The Royal Family.”

(Full disclosure: my mother, Rosalind Friedman, a well respected theater critic from Fairfield County, Connecticut, is on the OCC board. It doesn’t give me any leverage or influence. The OCC are serious theater people. All my lobbying for a couple of actors fell on deaf ears, I’m afraid.)

The OCC didn’t like “Enron,” a British import. Now that it opened last night, we can see why. “Enron” must have played great in London, where theatergoers probably thought it was clever to rip apart American corporate culture. Unfortunately, the long, talky play is a buzz kill. By the time it’s over you start to feel bad for Jeffrey Skilling and Kenneth Lay. That has a lot to do with good performances from Norbert Leo Butz and Gregory Itzin, as well as Stephen Kunken as Andy Fastow, and Marin Mazzie.

But “Enron” had buzz, so the audience was filled with interesting types. Chris Noth, Eric Bogosian and Tamara Tunie headed up the “Law & Order” area. Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy were among those who followed the action, along with Candice Bergen, Cherry Jones, Jim Dale, Mamie Gummer, Alec Baldwin, Kathleen Chalfant, and Zeljko Ivanek.

Happy Anniversary, Rudy and Judi

Roger Friedman
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Happy Anniversary, Rudy and Judi

Ten years ago tonight I happened upon Mayor Rudolph Giuliani out on a date with his girlfriend, Judith Nathan.

It was April 28, 2000, a Friday night, around 11:30pm. I’d been eating dinner in Elaine‘s on Second Avenue and East 88th St. when two people who knew the Mayor and his entourage came in for a bite. They told me, “Do you want a scoop? The mayor is across the street at Cronie’s on a date.”

I jumped up. Rushing through Elaine’s bar, I grabbed a friend. “I need a witness,” I told her. We crossed 88th St. and walked past the Mayor’s idling SUV and another car from his entourage. We entered Cronie’s–now called Cafe d’Alsace. It was an old fashioned pub that smelled faintly of beer.  Along the dimly lit bar, members of the Mayor’s staff were having drinks.

At the bar, I ran into a friend who was trying to pick up a cute blonde. Trying to look non chalant about my business, I tried to strike up a conversation. My friend, Tommy, shot me a dirty look that said, Get away, you’re bothering me.

The Cronie’s bar ended in a space that led to a romantic alcove in the back. There, sitting side by side, were the Mayor of New York, who was married, and a middle aged brunette. The mayor had just announced the day before that he had prostate cancer.

“If that isn’t his oncologist,” I said to my companion, “he’s in big trouble.” We lingered, long enough to ascertain that the Mayor was not receiving medical advice.

Back in Elaine’s, everyone wanted to know what happened. I told them, and Sid Zion, the lawyer and journalist who has since passed away, jumped up. He put on his hat and hustled out the door to see what was going on. I recall thinking, it looks like a movie from the Forties, like “The Front Page.” This was news.

We followed Sid back to Cronie’s, only to find that the Mayor’s staff had whisked him out of the place in seconds. They knew he’d been “made.”

I remember talking to the owner of Cronie’s, a tall man with white hair. He asked us, “Are you Rudy groupies?” I was shocked. I responded, “Does he have groupies?” I asked him if the Mayor was a regular customer. “Yeah, he comes in here all the time,” he said. With this woman? I asked. “Yes,” he said. “Sometimes they bring his son.” That meant Andrew, who was 14 years old in 2000.

So I had my story. The only problem was, no one knew who this woman was– and Fox News, for which I wrote a daily column, didn’t want it. “Roger Ailes has a close relationship with Rudy Giuliani,” I was told. “Someone else would have to run the story first. Then we can quote it.”

I turned to my friend Mitchell Fink at the New York Daily News. He ran a story on Tuesday, May 2nd after I called him to explain the situation. In the meantime, knowing that Fink was going with the story, Page Six in the New York Post ran pictures that day that had been taken recently of the Mayor and Judith Nathan, a divorcee, and her 16 year old daughter having Sunday brunch. Now the cat was out of the bag. Here’s a clip from the Daily News on May 4, 2000: http://tinyurl.com/2w5gycs

I finally was able to claim the story on May 3rd, even though the “scoop” was lost thanks to Fox News’s reticence. Still about ten days later, Joyce Purnick graciously gave me credit for it in the New York Times. http://tinyurl.com/2claccr

The result, of course, was marital mayhem at Gracie Mansion. Within days, Donna Hanover –who obviously knew her marriage was in trouble four years earlier when Rudy was picking out dresses for his press aide–appeared at the foot of the driveway at the Mayor’s home for a press conference. Her years of public humiliation were over. Rudy went to live with a gay couple on the Upper East Side (no joke). Donna filed for divorce.

It’s hard to believe a decade has passed. Rudy’s philandering, his subsequent marriage to Nathan, etc, all pretty much ended his political career. His next bad relationship was with ex Police Commissioner Bernie Kerik. Now he’s raking in millions in private practice. Donna Hanover married her childhood sweetheart, and presumably lived happily ever after. Cronie’s closed a couple of years ago. Too bad–it was a nice, out of the way pub where members of the Yankees went on secret dates. It looked the place described in Billy Paul‘s song, “Me and Mrs. Jones.” If you remember, they “had a thing going on.”

Out

Bret Michaels Update: Rumors of Death Exaggerated

Roger Friedman
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Bret Michaels Update: Rumors of Death Exaggerated

Bret  Michaels remains in critical condition this morning. So does the situation concerning his public relations.

This morning, someone called the “Today” show and “Access Hollywood” and insisted Michaels had passed away. Not so says Michaels’ beleaguered press rep Jo Mignano. “He’s alive, being treated, he’s sedated. Nothing has changed.”

Sources say Donald Trump‘s team from “Celebrity Apprentice” — which Michaels ostensibly has won for the men’s team–is as much in the dark as anyone else about Michaels’s whereabouts. Only his family and close friends know where Michaels is hospitalized.

Trump and NBC now walk a fine line. If they continue to make statements unauthorized by Michaels’ family they run the risk of appearing to stoke ratings for “Celebrity Apprentice.”

On the other hand, they have three more previously taped episodes that lead up to chef Curtis Stone being fired and Michaels becoming — to use Donald Trump’s language — a “champion.”

A wo hour live special set for May 23rd will have to feature Stone, as the odds of Michaels making the show–even as he recovers–are pretty slim.

Raffling Off John Legend; “Memento” Remembers Anniversary

Roger Friedman
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Raffling Off John Legend; “Memento” Remembers Anniversary

John Legend is indefatigable when it comes to charities. Over the weekend he joined Sting and the Roots on the Mall in Washington DC for Earth Day. On Tuesday May 2 and 3, he’ll have dinner and play golf with the winner of a raffle for the Show Me Campaign. The raffle ends tonight–see this link http://bit.ly/biif8t. The dinner is in New York at Marea.The golf is at Liberty National Golf Course…

It’s the 10th anniversary of Christopher Nolan‘s mind twisting debut film, “Memento.” I don’t know how anyone remembered to celebrate this event (inside joke).

If you’ve never seen “Memento,” it’s essentially told backwards and forwards simultaneously. The main character, Leonard Shelby (Guy Pearce) has been attacked in a home invasion and can’t make short term memories. If you like “Lost,” you’ll love it. I love it and can never get enough of it.

On Saturday, there was a 10th anniversary screening at the old Chelsea West aka SVA Theater, with a panel discussion following featuring Jonathan Nolan (who wrote it with his brother), and stars Guy Pearce and Joey Pantoliano. They are all still debating the film among themselves, and with the fans. It will never end! In 40 years I will be screening “Memento” at the Jewish Home for the Elderly and chewing it over with anyone who can hear or see…

Denzel Washington Hits It Out of the Park and Over the Fences

Roger Friedman
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Denzel Washington Hits It Out of the Park and Over the Fences

Denzel Washington has two Academy Awards. Come June, he’s going to be able to add a Tony Award as well to his collection of gold statues.

Last night at the Cort Theater, Denzel and Viola Davis opened in a revival of the late August Wilson‘s “Fences” –directed by Kenny Leon— to cheers and raves. Each of these actors deserves a Tony for their work, and my guess is they will get them. Very few this season (maybe Alfred Molina, Laura Linney, Jan Maxwell) came close to the work they’re doing at the Cort. They are just mesmerizing as a couple whose 18 year marriage is not what it seems.

And while Denzel’s Troy wants to put up fences to keep out trouble, it’s he who inevitably invites it in. It’s not Wilson’s most sophisticated metraphor, but almost three decades after it premiered with  James Earl Jones, Mary Alice, and Courtney B. Vance, the play resonates. The audience is just as vocally involved as they were when I saw it in 1987. (The play takes place from 1957 to 1965 in a city that could be Detroit or Pittsburgh.)

Washington steps into James Earl Jones‘s awesome shoes with authority. It’s funny that I remembered Jones as being older, but really he was just about the same age as Denzel is now–55, give or take. Jones had a little more physical heft, and that booming voice. But Denzel makes up for it by making Troy seem human and vulnerable. He also sheds a lot of the tics that come to inform any movie actor over time. “Fences” for Washington must feel like a house cleaning.

Viola Davis–what can I say? She’s sensational. Where Mary Alice was sweet and heartbroken, Davis is devastated and outraged. A quiet person in real life, she can project anger like no other current actor. The audience flocks to her side instantly when she’s attacked. After her short, powerful scene in “Doubt” led to an Oscar nomination, Davis can do anything. Her performance as Rose is unforgettable.

And listen: New York took this opening night seriously. No less than Mike Nichols, Joan Didion, Phylicia Rashad, Spike Lee, Natalie Cole, Branford Marsalis, Norah Ephron and Nick Pileggi, John Patrick Shanley, Lynn Whitfield, Tamara Tunie, Hill Harper, Denise Rich, Star Jones, and Courtney Vance himself were in the orchestra section. There was also a heavy contingent from the WME — William Morris Endeavor– including Ari Emanuel himself and Patrick Whitesell. And it was great to see the legendary manager/agent Johnnie Planco, on the mend after a brief illness.

Spider Man Musical Up to $51 Mil, Will Have No Stars

Roger Friedman
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Spider Man Musical Up to $51 Mil, Will Have No Stars

“Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” is up to $51 million in budget. Or $52 million, depending on who’s talking. What’s a million difference among friends?

The troubled show, long anticipated, is also going to take a risk. With the departures of actors Alan Cumming and Evan Rachel Wood, the producers have opted to go with no stars. The re-cast actors will be Broadway names, sources tell me. They will not be movie or TV stars or have much instant name recognition. (Lindsay Lohan, for example, will not be playing Mary Jane, although it could be a kooky idea!)

This news is added to the previous announcement that little-known Reeve Carney will play Peter Parker aka Spider Man.

Can you really have a $51 million musical without any name players? The thinking is that director Julie Taymor combined with the music of U2 should be enough to sell “Spider Man.” Experts tell me that at that budget, the show will not earn out for investors for at least five years. And that’s with every seat sold at every performance.

The average Broadway show costs a few million dollars. A biggie, like “The Addams Family,” is up around $15 million. That’s the top. Fifty one million dollars is just beyond any comprehension. It’s the price tag for a nice sized movie. Or about ten small, interesting musicals and plays.

It’s not like Taymor and Bono and The Edge can’t pull this off and have a success. Indeed, they probably will. New stars may be born. And certainly a lot of Mylanta will be ingested.

Harry Potter Daniel Radcliffe Gets a Broadway Co-Star

Roger Friedman
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Harry Potter Daniel Radcliffe Gets a Broadway Co-Star

It does look as though Daniel Radcliffe has found a co-star for his 2011 “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”

I am told that newcomer Rose Hemingway (not a relative of Ernest) has been chosen to play Rosemary to Radcliffe’s Finch in the musical revival. The show will be directed by choreographer Rob Ashford, who made his directorial debut last night in “Promises, Promises.”

The shows are sort of flip sides of each other. One is how to succeed without really trying. “Promises, Promises” is about really, really trying. “How to Succeed” is from 1962. “Promises” is set in that year, but was really launched in 1968-69.

Sources say Hemingway gave an extraordinary reading of the role in the workshop and auditions. The last person to play Rosemary was Sarah Jessica Parker. The original, of course, was the great Michele Lee, on Broadway and in the film with Bobby Morse.

Sean Hayes–of Will & Grace–Stars in A Musical “Mad Men”

Roger Friedman
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Sean Hayes–of Will & Grace–Stars in A Musical “Mad Men”

Yes, that Sean Hayes, who played Jack on “Will & Grace” and won a lot of Emmy Awards. He’s headed to the Tony Awards next after his triumphant Broadway debut last night in “Promises, Promises.” He’s going to give veteran Nathan Lane from ‘The Addams Family” a run for his money as Lead Actor in a Musical. (We’ll watch for the Outer Critics Circle nominees this morning, too.)

If you want to know where “Mad Men” got its inspiration, look no further than this show. “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner clearly took the name of Peggy Olson, the secretary at Consolidated, for the now famous Elizabeth Moss character on the TV show. Well done!

The revival of the 1969 musical is a smash at the Broadway Theater, with co-stars Kristen Chenoweth, Tony Goldwyn (anew surprise Broadway star–great voice) and knockout scene stealer (and previous Tony winner) Katie Finneran. Let’s just say that the latter appears at the start of Act II and takes no prisoners in one of the memorable performances of any season.

But it’s Hayes who’s a bit of a surprise, and he pulls it off. As C.C. Baxter, the newcomer who’s trying to get ahead at Consolidated Life in 1962 Manhattan, he carries the entire musical. This is no small task, as the book is by Neil Simon and the songs are by no less than Burt Bacharach and Hal David. And Hayes’s predecessor 40 years ago was Jerry Orbach.

And while Hayes is the circus ringleader, it’s Chenoweth who has the toughest task: she gets to sing the Bacharach-David hits, “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,” “A House is Not a Home,” and “I Say A Little Prayer.” She does so with aplomb, maybe getting the songs better than she does the character of a suicidal ingenue who’s having an affair with a married man. As Fran, Chenoweth is a little stiff. You’re not sure why CC is pursuing her and not the vivid Marge played by Finneran. It seems like a no-brainer.

Still, Neil Simon‘s original book from December 1968 remains an Erector set of splendid one liners. It’s so interesting to hear it now because almost nothing was changed, Hayes told me. And it works like a beauty: you see and hear Simon at his best.

And the music is just so impeccable. Bacharach was not expected to be here from Los Angeles. But he came, looking a little frail but feisty and proud. Of course Hal David was front and center. The songs are timeless and extraordinary. They so fit their era but have lasted 40 years. I have never been at a performance like this, where a song–“I Say A Little Prayer”– got applause before it was sung, as if it were a famous actor!

And yes, the premiere was filled with stars: Hugh Jackman, Alfred Molina, John Stamos, David Hyde Pierce, T.R. Knight from “Grey’s Anatomy,” the magnificent Mary Kay Place (who’s shooting episodes of “Bored to Death” on HBO) with famed record producer Russ Titelman, Brooke Shields, legend Geoffrey Holder, Harvey Weinstein (busy on his Blackberry), Lee Pace, Neil Patrick Harris, Nora Ephron and Nick Pileggi. I asked Alan Cumming why he dropped out of “Spider Man.” He said, with a twinkle in his eye, “It was a scheduling problem. Didn’t you read the press release?”

Trump Clue: Bret Michaels Ironic Situation in Celebrity Apprentice

Roger Friedman
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Trump Clue: Bret Michaels Ironic Situation in Celebrity Apprentice

SPOILER SPECULATION ALERT

Don’t keep reading if you don’t want to know what I’m told may happen on what has been a hot season of “The Celebrity Apprentice.”

Sources say that Bret Michaels‘ terrible sudden illness–he is in critical condition because of a brain hemorrhage–is a terrible irony, especially if he’s in for a long recovery.

Donald Trump praised Michaels on Friday, calling him “a great competitor and champion.” The wording was the tip off. Champion means victor, not just “great player.” If they had clues like that on “Lost,” the show would have been over two years ago.

Currently, Michaels is one of the two last men remaining on the show. Celebrity chef Curtis Stone is the other.

But I am told that in the end it’s more likely that Stone’s future with Trump is cooked like a Thanksgiving goose. Michaels. they say, is the odds on favorite to be named the men’s winner. That would make him one of the two finalists for “The Celebrity Apprentice.” This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise; viewers know that Michaels is in the lead.

The shows were pre-taped weeks ago.

“Celebrity Apprentice” is scheduled to air a two hour live episode on Sunday, May 23rd. The last two contestants, one each from the men’s team and the women’s,  have to demonstrate why he or she should be the winner.

Another source admitted, “I know it’s Brett and two others toward the end.”

I do know that on the May 9th installment, there’s a big twist in the women’s story. I won’t say what happens.

While everyone hopes for Michaels’ speedy recovery, it might take a miracle to get him back in front of cameras by May 23rd. And how Michaels’ situation progresses has to be handled delicately by NBC. The Poison rock star’s health is at stake, as well as the show’s future and reputation. But if Michaels can make it to the finale, imagine the drama and the ratings. TV execs would sell their children for such an episode.

People do recover from brain hemorrhages. Gifted pop singer Phoebe Snow had one on January 19th of this year, and fell into a coma. Last week, her manager posted a message on Snow’s website saying she was awake, and making progress. Here’s hoping each of these stars makes a swift recovery.

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